


From Out of Hel

by EndoratheWitch



Category: Celtic Mythology, Loki - Fandom, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Norse Religion & Lore, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies), hela - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Norse Religion & Lore, Asgardians - Freeform, Draugr, F/M, Family Drama, Light Angst, Loki and Hela getting together, Loki and Thor Are Not Related, Marvel Norse Lore, Monsters, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Post-Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Slow Burn, Smut, The Nine Realms, Undead, Violence, Wendigo, combining Marvel with Norse Myths
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-15
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-05-07 09:16:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 31,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14667978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EndoratheWitch/pseuds/EndoratheWitch
Summary: Loki and Hela find themselves someplace strange after they "die"





	1. Introductions

Loki’s eyes fluttered. The first thing he was aware of was that he was lying on his stomach, face down in what smelled suspiciously like dirt. He was aware that every part of his body hurt and his neck felt odd...his throat was sore. Loki sighed. Asgardians didn’t get “sick.” (And neither did giants or half-giants.) Injured, all the time, annoyed, every day, but sick...no. That was for humans. The slightest little thing had them hacking and sniffling. Loki frowned. Thinking about humans made him think of Earth...his brother...Thanos. Loki squeezed his eyes shut, tears gathering at the corners of his eyes. All he had wanted was save Thor, save his brother...save everyone, to prove himself, to show that he had changed and look what that had gotten him… 

That was the moment everything came rushing in toward Loki: his brother, Thanos, the titan’s hand crushing his throat, snapping his neck...seeing Thor helpless and now...not ever knowing. Tears rolled down his cheeks. Had he died for nothing...would he ever now? 

Slowly, it dawned on Loki, if he was dead, his neck broken...then how was he lying in the dirt thinking about it. 

Loki sat up suddenly grabbing at his throat...but...he frowned touching his neck more delicately with the tips of his fingers. Besides being sore, he didn't it feel like he had just had his neck broken, that he was dead. He frowned looking down at himself. He was clad exactly as he had been when he had died, the dark blue leather he had been wearing when Thanos had killed him, but right now he appeared unharmed, just dirty. He had his daggers--which surprised him--but that was it, no other weapons. Although 

Loki always had a spell or three ready. He frowned looking around, only now taking in his surroundings. 

Loki frowned in confusion and ran his fingers through his thick black hair as he gazed around. 

The temperature was chilly, the air full of moisture which served to create a thick fog. He couldn’t see more than a few feet beyond his body. But what he could see told him that he might be in a foggy valley. 

The ground around him was rocky, the rocks covered in thick green moss. He guessed a valley for two reasons. The ground upon which he had awakened was an incline--or a decline, depending one’s view, he thought. He couldn’t be sure, but he would guess that the rise led to mountains, though the fog made it impossible to tell for sure. He stood up, brushed himself off. Scattered among the moss were tall, thin purple flowers on pale green stalks; there was just enough of a breeze that the flowers waved lazily and as the mist parted for a moment, he could see a small twisting river nearby. He hadn’t heard the water at all. Sound seems muffled here. 

The other thing that Loki noticed now that he was standing, was that this was actually a trail. A long, winding white, crushed rock trail. 

He frowned. “Well, that’s odd.” 

“Odder than being alive?” 

Loki turned, his hands going to his daggers and drawing them out smoothly. The voice had been female...and mildly...familiar. 

“Hello?” he said it softly, his eyes darting around, searching the fog for the source of the voice. 

Loki didn’t hear any movement as he gripped his daggers tighter. “Show yourself!” 

“Gracious, jumpy aren't we?” 

That was the moment that Loki saw a shadow in the fog. He couldn’t quite make out the figure, but it seemed humanoid as it moved closer. He held his daggers at the ready. He wasn’t sure if he was alive or dead or...whatever--as the humans on Earth were prone to saying--but protecting himself seemed like a good idea no matter what the situation might be. He hadn’t lived for centuries by being foolish...he shook his head at that thought and focused. The figure came closer; there was definitely a female shape...a smooth, sultry sway to her walk...Loki found himself lifting a brow as the figure emerged from the fog. 

When the figure stepped out of the fog Loki nearly dropped his weapons. 

“Hela?” 

“Hello baby brother.” She smiled. 

She looked much as he had the last time he saw her, minus the spiky headdress. Her long dark hair was brushed back from her face, showing off her elegant features. Her shoulders were exposed and she was dressed in the skin tight black and green outfit that showed off her rather...stunning figure. Loki averted his eyes when he realized he was staring at her...figure and not her face. 

“I am not your brother,” Loki muttered, though he kept his blades out and ready. 

Hela chuckled “Well I suppose that’s true, frost giant,” she agree. “Oh, do put those away. I’m not going to fight you. I see no reason to fight the only person I’ve run into since I’ve been here.” 

Loki frowned, considered her words then decided to put away his daggers. He sympathized with her and her position on Asgard--at least a little. Their father had been...well, a bastard. Thor had explained everything, what he had seen in the throne room...how father had tried to erase her. Father was good about keeping secrets...if he had a problem, his solution was to try to bury it. Just like he had tried to bury what Loki really was, Odin had tried to hide who and what his daughter really was too. Loki frowned. He supposed he and Hela had much more in common than he would have guessed otherwise. He put that thought aside for now. 

“What are you doing here? Aren’t you dead?” Loki asked as he slipped his daggers back into their sheaths. 

Hela made a face as if she were simply annoyed. “Well...I don’t know. I don’t really remember clearly what happened. I was fighting Surtur...then I woke up here.” 

Hela frowned standing with her hands on her hips in a pose that was imposing, but Loki could see she was upset, nervous and confused. It was clear in her eyes, her blue eyes. Loki frowned for a moment. She mannerism was reminiscent of Thor--at least in the last few years--with the way she was standing, the slight wrinkle between her brow as she stared off in confusion. Loki could see it in her expression; not only was she confused, but a little frightened. 

The god of mischief had perfected the art of being cocky when you had no idea what you were doing...he could easily see that Hela was not nearly as comfortable or as confident as she wanted him to believe. 

Loki frowned. He contemplated lying for a moment, but decided against it. He couldn’t really see the profit in it for him to lie right now. 

“Last I remember we left Asgard...left you to fight it out with that great horned fool. We were headed to Earth when Thanos found us.” Loki’s voice dropped to a whisper. Thanos had...did still...frighten him. The memory… 

The Titan was cruel. But what made Thanos’ cruelty that much more horrible was that he was certain of his cause, that what he was doing was right and good. Loki glanced down at the purple flowers around him. He was unable to suppress the shudder that ran through him. Thanos had tortured him the first time he had the misfortune to meet him. 

Loki had no idea for how long. Thanos had killed him and resurrected him, and he wasn’t even sure how many times it happened. But he did remember the pain, the confusion...the fear. 

Loki swallowed and forced a smile. “I remember the great purple freak breaking my neck...then I was here.” 

Hela frowned, furrowing her brow at Loki and then looking around. 

Hela frowned. “Thanos? Purple freak?” 

Loki chewed his bottom lip. “Nevermind.” 

Hela shrugged. “Well, this isn’t Valhalla...and I don’t think it's my realm, Niflheim. And it’s certainly not Helheim. I’m not really sure where we are.” Hela walked down the path a little then touched her stomach. “But I feel hungry, which I shouldn’t...if I’m dead.” 

Loki nodded. “And it’s chilly. Which I suppose if I’m dead I shouldn’t feel.” 

“So, maybe we aren't dead?” Hela suggested, but she clearly wasn’t sure. 

Loki shrugged. “If we aren’t dead, then where are we?” 

Hela sighed. “Well, I was following the path…” She pointed at the path next to them. “When I found you. We should keep following it and maybe we’ll find someone who has some answers?” 

“And maybe a fire,” Loki muttered. “Sure why not?! It doesn't seem like I have many options available to me at the moment. Though you are not going to…” 

Hela laughed. “Why should I hurt you at all, little brother? You do not have the throne, you don’t have that large blonde oaf with you and we are both in the same…” She looked around and tossed her hands up into the air. “At the moment I think I...we, I mean, both...need allies, don’t you?” 

Loki sighed. “I suppose you are correct, but please, do not call me your little brother.” 

Hela grinned. “And why ever not?” 

“Because I’m not your brother,” he said slowly. “I wasn’t Thor’s brother and I’m not yours,” Loki said, knowing he sounded a little peevish. 

Hela smiled. “As you like...sorry...Loki. Shall we call a truce?” She put her hand out to him, wiggling her fingers just a bit with a smile...a smile that for a moment reminded him of Thor. Loki suppressed the urge to laugh. He went from spending time with one adopted sibling, now to an adopted sister who he knew nearly nothing about except, like him, she had tried for the throne and lost. Well...he didn’t lose technically...but whatever he thought. 

Loki frowned, his gaze dropping to her hand. She wiggled her fingers at him again. He took a breath through his nose, and then let it out on a sigh. “Fine. Truce. I’m going to regret this.” 

He took her hand and they shook. 

“There we go! Now that wasn’t so hard, was it?” Hela smiled brightly. “Well, come along then, little brother. Let’s go see where we are.” 

Loki groaned very loudly, which only made Hela laugh. 

* 

They traveled for well over an hour, both of them quiet, the landscape silent, unchanging. Finally, as if she couldn’t take the quiet any longer, Hela spoke softly. 

“So, tell me--you remembered how you died? Or...if you died? By the hand of someone named Thanos you said? Who was purple?” She lifted a curious brow at him, giving Loki a smile of encouragement. 

Loki ran his hand through his hair. He wasn’t really sure how he felt about talking about his death. It wasn’t the way he would have chosen to go out. It wasn’t in “glorious combat” and he had done it...tried to trick the Mad Titan. He was about to tell himself that he hadn’t even been successful, but he wondered...maybe he had been. He hadn’t been wherever this was for too long before he ran into Hela. If Thor was gone too, shouldn’t he have run into his brother by now? Unless...unless this was someplace so far from Valhalla that he would never see Thor again. Loki twisted his lips sideways finding he wasn’t really sure how he felt about that…Pestering the oaf had its merits... 

He let the implications of that train of thought drift away and instead he glanced sideways at Hela before he spoke. “I...we...it is a long story.” 

Hela smiled at him throwing her hands in the air with a shrug. “I seem to be in a unique position of having all the time in the world at the moment.” 

Loki gave her a slight chuckle. “Fine. I...” He took a deep breath. “Thanos is a titan...a mad titan who wants the infinity stones and to destroy half the universe.” 

Hela quirked a brow. “Only half. How odd. If you’re going to do something, you should do it all the way...not only half. All right,” she said with a shrug. “…continue. Odd that I never heard of him...though...” She tilted her head sideways in thought as they walked. “I suppose not. I’ve been imprisoned for a long bloody time. Of course, perhaps if father hadn’t been so…” She pressed her lips into a thin line. Loki studied her profile. While she had been angry, she had been focused when they had met her. But now Loki could see she was hurt too. Their father’s betrayal, after having been by his side for so long must have hurt deeply. But to find out on her return that Odin had not just imprisoned her, but had tried to erase his own daughter...Loki wondered how her mother must have felt. Did she ever try to see Hela like she had come to visit him? At least he had known she loved him, but what of Hela? 

Loki found himself feeling sympathy for her. Perhaps her attack on the throne had more to do with her feelings of abandonment than it did with power? 

Loki frowned at her and continued. “He wanted the tesseract because it is actually an infinity stone, and once he has all of them...” 

Hela stopped walking and turned toward Loki. She held her hand up to stop him. “You know brother--forget I asked. He is power hunger, you got in his way and he killed you...I understand.” 

“No. I tried to stop him...stop him from killing Thor,” Loki muttered. “Stop him from what he was trying to do...to the universe.” 

Hela wrinkled her nose. “Now why in all the nine realms would you want to do that? I mean, help Thor. I guess I understand the universe. Because what’s the fun of ruling...nothing. But save Thor?” 

Loki frowned softly. “Because he’s my brother. You...you don’t know him.” 

Hela shrugged. “Well, I suppose you’re right, I don’t know him. Never really knew anything about having brothers at all. One doesn’t get a lot of updated information when you’re sealed in the underworld. That and I wonder if father made it that way...wouldn’t let the dead tell me...anything.” 

Hela frowned softly. 

Loki licked his lips before he spoke. “Did...did you know mother had died?” 

Hela, who had been looking down at her boots, glanced up at him. Her hair had fallen forward, shielding part of her face. Loki could see the hurt young woman beneath the rage, the hunger for power...no...not a hunger to be in power, a hunger to be accepted for who she was...that was something Loki understood all too well. 

“No. No, I didn't,” Hela whispered. “I was...I ruled the underworld, but even there I was subject to Odin’s laws. Father made sure I knew nothing. And no one knew anything of me.” 

She turned away looking out into the fog. Loki started to reach toward her. He didn’t know why. But just before his fingers would have touched her shoulder, he pulled his hand away. 

He spoke softly. “She died standing up against Asgard’s enemies.” 

Hela smiled. “Which sounds exactly how she would have wanted to go. She always was stronger than father.” 

They were both quiet. Loki’s memories drifting to the day their father died...Hela the same, though she kept her thoughts to herself. Loki broke the silence. 

He sighed. “So, that’s how I died. I assume. What about you?” 

Hela brushed her hair back and smiled. “Glorious combat...or at least I thought. Actually I’m quite shocked I died at all. I mean, I’m Queen of the Underworld and all. More powerful than you or Thor…” She grinned. “Did you see his eye? Or lack thereof?” 

Loki nodded with a slightly lifted eyebrow. “Yes, yes I did.” 

She chuckled. “Little brother didn’t think I could do that did he? You know...on the bridge, I would have beaten you all.” 

Loki shrugged. “Maybe.” 

“Maybe??? Are you jesting? Maybe!” Hela laughed, but she started to move again. 

Loki chuckled. “Well look where you are, stuck in ...wherever we are--dead, with me.” 

She shrugged and glanced over her shoulder at him. She gave him a smile. Loki frowned. She had a beautiful smile actually. 

She hissed. “Maybe.” 

After a beat she asked softly. “Do you know what happened to Fenris?” 

Loki frowned in thought. “The last I saw of her, she had fallen over the bridge with Hulk, though only Hulk returned.” 

Hela blinked for a moment and again, her shell cracked. Loki saw something in her eyes, pain, regret...but it was quickly banished as she whispered. “Oh. That’s...that’s too bad.” 

She turned and started to walk again, but Loki could clearly see by the set of her shoulders, that the death of her beloved wolf hurt her more than she would like to admit. 

* 

They walked along for a little while longer when Hela’s stomach rumbled. She grimaced, touching the flat planes of her stomach. She glanced at Loki, her voice softer than her usual imperious tones. 

“Did, did mother still make those little bread cups with the fresh fruit and honey?” 

Loki grinned. “Yes, she did indeed. She liked working in the kitchens until the day she died…” 

Hela smiled, a genuine lovely smile. For a moment Loki could see her in the halls of Asgard, just a beautiful woman, a princess to the throne. 

“I missed those,” Hela said wistfully. “She used to bring me a whole platter full when father and I would return from some conquest or other. She would stay, sitting on the edge of my bed and we would talk...not about whatever land father and I had conquered. She would always ask me about what I had seen that was beautiful. She would brush my hair while I stuffed my face full of honey and fruit and asked about the beautiful things I had seen and she would tell me stories of things that had happened at court.” Hela smiled at the memory. “I...I always loved those times.” 

Loki stared at her. He could see the young woman she had been, set on a trail of power acquisition and destruction until finally she had turned on her father. Loki would have laughed. Just like Odin to create a monster, then turn on it and shut her away as if the shame were hers and not his...but he didn’t laugh. Hela looked too frail and vulnerable at the moment, sharing a memory that she clearly held dear. 

Loki smiled instead. “When I was imprisoned…” Hela looked up and blinked. Loki smiled. “Another long story...but mother would have books brought to me. She couldn’t come to see me herself, but she made her presence felt with the books she sent...and the honeyed fruit cakes.” 

Hela grinned. “I think she felt any hurt could been soothed with sweets.” 

Loki laughed. “Well, she wasn’t completely wrong.” 

They had both started to laugh together when they heard a strange sound...it drifted through the fog, a hollow, lonely sound. It was almost a sigh mixed with a moan filled with longing and something darker… 

“What was that?” Loki’s daggers found their way into his hands.. 

Hela turned, her hands out and immediately her necroswords formed in her hands...but oddly they didn’t seem as...Loki frowned looking at them. Yes, the blades seemed dulled, not as vibrant as they had...Hela looked down at the blades in her hands. 

“What in the Nine Realms?” 

But no sooner were the words out of her mouth than shadows became visible in the fog. They were roughly Asgardian in shape, but there was something wrong about the way the figures were moving. They seemed to drag and shuffle. Their gait didn’t seem natural, Loki thought and the sound, the strange mournful cry that they had heard just moments before was now accompanied by more of the same, deep, pitiful moaning sounds. 

Hela took a step back so that she stood beside Loki. They both watched as the figures, seven in all, emerged from the fog. 

The “creatures” before them had once been alive. It was hard to tell what species they were, human, Asgardian...or something else. It was difficult to tell if the small group were male or female except perhaps by clothing. Death had made them all equal. They were dressed in a variety of clothing that could have come from any number of planets, but all of them shared one common feature--they were all dead. The skin on each of them had the dull, grey-black of rotten flesh. Their mouths contained varying amounts of darkened, rotten teeth and their black eye-sockets were filled with the icy cold glare of death. Some had patches of hair, sticking to bits of flesh that stubbornly held to their skulls, the rotten flesh twisted and tied across the arms and legs, holding the bones of the long dead together as whatever magic or spirit of will held these creatures together. Each of them was armed, some with weapons such as blasters, but most held weapons similar to Loki and Hela...blades. 

As the undead creatures shambled closer, the smell wafted over Loki and Hela, the smell of the cold grave, the sickening sweet scent of rotten flesh, accompanied by the tickling hint of earth. 

Loki snarled. “Draugr.” 

Hela looked mildly surprised and with a flick of her wrists her necroblades vanished as she smiled. “Ah, well, this should be easy then.” 

Loki lifted a quizzical brow at her. “Easy?” he asked. 

Hela grinned. “Draugr...undead...my element. I’ll just simply...released their spirits and tada...all gone.” 

She held her hand out to the draugr that continued to shamble toward them. 

Loki held on to his blades. He wasn’t sure why, but he suspected this was not going to go the way Hela was thinking. 

“I release you,” she said, her voice full of command and confidence, the fingers of her hand out stretched before her. 

Nothing happened. 

Hela frowned. She shook her hand like she was shaking a flashlight before holding it out again. 

“I release you,” she repeated, once more with authority, but the draugr gave no indication that they had heard her. 

Hela blinked in astonishment and looked at her hand. “That should have worked.” 

Loki hissed. “Well it didn’t!” 

That was the moment that the lead draugr, which Loki was sure had been from Asgard judging by the robes he wore...lifted his blade over his head, ready to strike Hela down.


	2. Let the Dead Lie

For a split second, Loki considered just stepping away and letting his “sister” fight the draugr alone. He could simply walk away, but there was a nagging feeling in his chest that told him he should help. Loki rolled his eyes muttering to himself mentally. He knew exactly who to blame for his new feelings of “goodness.” 

“I blame you brother,” Loki hissed through his teeth as he pulled his daggers and charged in to defend Hela. 

* 

Hela made a sound that she hadn’t uttered since she was but a girl learning to fight at her father’s side. She yelped in surprise. 

She barely had time to get her blade up and block the more than seven feet of metal from cleaving through her head. Hela shoved against the undead warrior, sending the draugr stumbling back away from her as she cursed. “You bacraut!!” she snarled and for just a moment she was reminded of having muttered that word, so very long ago and her other mother, Frigga having appeared out of nowhere to bring punishment down on her, swift and with more ferocity that Odin ever did. 

Hela only smiled. She remembered crying as her mother glared at her father and dragged Hela back into the palace while at the same time lecturing her about the way a lady should talk. Hela always remembered that lecture because afterwards, the two of them had hidden out on one of the many balconies of the palace with a plate of honeyed fruit, and some forbidden wine (which Hela was allowed to sip) as her mother had hugged her, setting the little dark-haired girl on her lap and told her someday, when she was a mother too, she would understand why she had snapped at her for her cursing. Hela had smiled and snuggled close to her mother. These were the moments that Hela treasured the most, though she had never told a soul...not even her mother. Something that Hela regretted. 

Hela frowned as the memory flooded over her. That was so long along...so very long ago that the memory was startling as it came back to her. And now her mother was gone...Odin had denied her a chance to see her mother one last time! Hela felt a pang of loss, longing...but the feeling was swiftly replaced with rage. Odin had taken all of that from her when he had imprisoned her!! Imprisoned her for becoming what he had created her to be!!! 

He hadn’t let her be there to defend her home against the dark elves...to defend her own mother. To see her brothers. Her own father had taken more than her freedom!! 

He had taken everything… 

She hadn’t been here when her mother died!! 

Odin had stolen Hela’s family from her. 

Tears that she didn’t realize she was crying were running down her cheeks and her blue eyes flashed a blackish green. 

Hela released a battle cry that startled Loki. 

Loki watched his “sister” charge into the draugr. She moved with the grace of a deadly dancer, her arms moving swiftly as she cut through the undead with her weapons, slicing through undead flesh and bone like a fire giant’s knife through butter. She maybe not have her powers, but as she charged into the crowd of draugr, he could see where a man would follow her...a stupid man maybe. She...she was definitely a goddess. 

Her hair was loose, the long, black locks whipped around her face as she turned and spun and fought; her blades were a full extension of her arms as she lunged, blocked, sliced, and hacked. 

Loki didn’t realize he was grinning at her. While Thor was almost impressive, watching Hel was like watching an artist at work. He was just about to let her have at it all by herself when he saw one of the undead, a big brute, taller than Hela by a head and shoulder, dressed in the armor that Loki always associated with his father’s personal guard, broke through Hela’s defense and sliced her along her hip with a verdigris covered blade. 

Hela gasped in pain, the sudden shock of the wound made her stumble. She just barely was able to twist her torso out of the way to avoid another sword swipe as another undead, this one dressed in armor that Loki wasn’t familiar with, thrust his blade at her, and filled the space between her arm and hip. She spun again blocking the dead man’s sword out of the way, but Loki could see that she was swiftly becoming surrounded. 

Loki muttered. “She’s as bad of Thor, always needing rescuing.” 

He rushed forward then at the last moment Loki jumped. He launched himself into the air with a battle cry. 

Everyone, which included all the undead and Hela, looked toward the sound of Loki’s cry. 

She gasped in shock to see him, blades out, leaping down into the mass of undead and landing deftly on his feet in a slight crouch. He quickly followed his landing with a spin of his entire body, his arms extended as he spun. His daggers sliced through the little pieces of sinew at the knees that held some of the undead together, cutting their legs out from under them. At the same time that Loki spun, he rose up, cutting through arms and slicing through a few throats, but it seemed that for every undead he was cutting down, another took its fellow’s place. 

Hela pushed her way closer to him with a snarl, swinging her blades to cut herself a path. “There are too many!” 

“Oh did you just now figured that out? I’m shocked!” Loki shot back at her. 

Hela quirked a brow. “You are grumpy little brother.” 

Loki narrowed his eyes at her, but she spared a laugh as the crowd of undead forced them to press their backs together fighting and twisting trying to stop themselves from being overrun. 

Loki was beginning to think that perhaps this was it, this was how he was going to end. This was how he was really going to meet his true end, dead on the point of a sword held by a walking bag of bones, when a flash caught his eye. He frowned, for a moment thinking that perhaps the watery sun, which he couldn’t see directly, somehow had reflected off a piece of armor or some other piece of metal when he saw it again, more of a glow than a flash. 

No...that wasn’t light reflecting off a sword...it was too bright… 

Loki pressed his lips together and focused on trying to catch the glow of the object again while keeping his throat intact. He finally saw it, toward the back of the group of armed undead. 

The man was an Asgardian, tall, solidly-built with reddish blonde hair. He couldn’t be much older than Loki and wore armor that reminded Loki of something Volstagg would wear, but what had attracted Loki’s attention (besides the fact that this man was clearly not a draugr) was the stone in the middle of his breastplate...a stone that glowed a sickly, icy blue… 

Loki elbowed Hela in the back. “Do you see that?” 

She had just cut the head off what she thought might have been a woman at one time, jumped when he elbowed her, and snarled. “No little brother, I didn’t see “That” whoever or whatever that is--I was busy keeping my head on my shoulders.” 

Loki grabbed her upper arm, forcing her around to face the direction he was currently looking. 

Hela started to snap at him when she saw the man too. It was at that same moment, the stranger realized he had been spotted and took off running. 

“That haneas skreyja kamphundr!!!” Hela snarled. 

Loki grinned. “I’m guessing you know who that is?” 

“It’s Hermod, that little weasel!!! I killed him!” Hela’s voice was rising as her anger grew. 

Loki chuckled. “Well...clearly not...or...well maybe, who knows? That gem in his breastplate…” Loki began, but Hela cut him off. “That little meinfretr stole it from me! It’s a blue diamond that allows the holder to control the dead.” 

Loki frowned. “And, why pray tell does that half-troll have it?” 

Hela turned on Loki, her eyes flashing. “Because when I broke off with seeing him he stole The Heart from me!” 

Loki, who had just deflected a spear from a very tall draugr as he continued talking. “The Heart...you mean the stone? And you killed him, but didn’t get the stone back--is that accurate?” 

Hela rolled her eyes. “Yes, the stone is called The Heart and YES, I tried to kill him, he disappeared. I just assumed...there was a big hole where Hermod had been standing...but no, I didn’t find The Heart.” Hela let out a shout, kicking a draugr in the groin with pelvis cracking force. “It was all just before father banished me...well, a few years before…” she muttered. 

Loki snorted. “You lost a powerful gemstone to an angry ex-boyfriend. Hela, the Goddess of Death...the All Father’s executioner…” Loki giggled. “Lost The Heart...to...I cannot believe you were even seeing Hermod! Everyone knows he’s a coward.” 

Hela hissed. “OH do shut up! We were young!” She did a spin kick, ending with a heel smash to a draugr’s forehead that caved in its skull. Loki grinned; she really was impressive he thought. 

She snarled, her eyes glinting in the pale light. “We need to get that stone or these “things” will just keep getting up and attacking us until he stops them--and knowing what a lqngubak Hermod is...which is why he was always good at running way…” Hela muttered. “I bet that was what…” 

Loki twisted and kicked a draugr in the chest. “Focus please.” 

Hela sighed using her elbow to smash in the face of another. “Come on, let’s get him!” 

Hela smiled at Loki and gave him a wink before she took off. Loki grinned watching her go for a moment completely distracted by her graceful movements, but he was quickly brought back to reality by two of the draugr clawing at his hair. 

Loki yanked himself forward and kicked backward at one before spinning to the right and hitting the other in the neck with his elbow before taking off after Hela. 

* 

Hermod, like most Asgardian males, was tall, good looking with long flowing hair, muscles on muscles, a perfect smile and eyes that quite literally flashed. He was cursing to himself loudly. He had been wandering this vast wasteland for how long, he had no idea, but definitely for a long time with his little army of undead. And then the first person he encountered that wasn’t head had to be Hela! 

For the thousandth time since she had broken off her relationship with him all that time ago, Hermod told himself that had should never have stolen that stupid stone...he shouldn't have stolen those gauntlets and he shouldn't have stolen those boots either. He had done it to be petty, he knew he had...he had just wanted to get back at her. It was stupid, he knew, but then after he had stolen from her she had been wrathful...he didn't know why he didn’t give the stupid thing back to her. Maybe it was because stealing The Heart had made her pay attention to him, or maybe it was because of how angry she had gotten...always cool and calm and pragmatic Hela...and Hermod had found a way to get under Odin’s perfect daughter’s skin. 

Hermod grinned thinking to himself that stealing from her taught that tik Hela to break up with me! 

Of course now, here he was...under her skin all right...and she knew he wasn’t dead now. While she tried and failed to kill him last time...she might not fail this time!! He had just vaulted over a cluster boulders when he heard the sound of something whipping through the air. Whatever it was, it traveled swiftly and hit him in the back of the head. 

Hermod yelped, his hands flying up wildly just before he tipped over a large, fist size stone to plant his face squarely in the only small puddle of water that Loki or Hela had seen in...well...forever. 

Hela had stopped running, put her hands on her hips breathing hard, bent her legs slightly when she saw a rock fly past her. She giggled and snorted when the stone struck Hermod and sent the big oaf tumbling over the boulders. She turned to see Loki's cresting the small hill with a broad, smug smile on his lips. 

He stopped and formed his hands around his mouth and yelled. “FORE!” 

He was grinning at himself and not paying as much attention to the undead as he should have been, which allowed the boney fingers of several of reach for him. Loki squeaked and yelled as he began to run towards Hela. 

“Stop snorting and get the stone woman!! Get the stone!!” 

Hela gave him an indignant look as she turned. “I don’t snort!” 

Hermod pushed himself to his feet just as Hela rushed up and kicked him in the side. 

“You are a serpent tongued, unborn, cowardly, bow legged, CHICKEN!” Hela spat and kicked Hermod in the side again. He grunted in pain and reached to shield his bruised, maybe cracked ribs with a hand. Hela straddled Hermod and started to dig her nails in around the gem in his breastplate. 

“Call them off Hermod or I swear when I get a hold of this gem, I’m going to break all your teeth with it!” Hela snarled. 

Hermod grabbed at her wrists. “You’ll kill me anyway!!! You don’t bargain Hela; everyone knows that!” 

A shadow suddenly fell over Hermod and he looked up to see a thin, handsome man who sported a wicked grin. 

“You don’t know me Hermod; the name is Loki, and I can be bargained with…” Loki grinned holding the rock he had lifted up in such a way that his position told Hermod that his man, Loki, could easily use the rock to hit either Hela or Hermod with it. 

Hermod words came tumbling out of his mouth. “Whatever you want I can get it for you! Just hit her!!” 

Hela, who had stopped trying to dig the stone out of Hermod’s armor, looked up at Loki in surprise. “You wouldn’t betray your own sister, little brother? Would you? 

Loki groaned. “I'm not your little brother.” 

She gave a “look” at Loki from under her lashes and very slowly licked her upper lip in that calculating fashion that Hermod remembered. Both men stared at her as Hela purrred. “Loki...really...I thought we had something special…” 

“Oh shut up!” Loki snarled and brought the rock down. 

* 

Hermod’s eyes fluttered. His head ached, which reminded him of this night of drinking he had shared with several dwarves, it had been some sort of rice mead they had made and that damnable stuff had left his ears ringing for days. He could hear two voices talking, accompanied by the smell of cooked meat, and the crackling of a fire. Within seconds everything came rushing back to him. 

He didn’t panic, despite his position. Hermod calmly looked down--he was still wearing his breastpiece, but the jewel was gone. 

He frowned, at first thinking the dark shapes on the edges of the fire’s light around him were actually stones, but as his eyes adjusted to the fire’s light and the shadows, he began to realize that this little camp was surrounded by small hills made from the bodies of his recently arisen undead army...now back in their more...dead state. 

* 

Hela sat on a large rock by the fire, grinned and took a bite of the rabbit’s leg that Loki had handed her. She looked down at the bone in her hand shaking her head. “This is really well done little brother. Where did you get the spices?” 

She glanced sideways at Loki, the fire’s light casting shadows over his features. He was really quite handsome she thought. There was a darkness about him that she found appealing, a set to his lips, a pain behind his eyes, a depth of character that so many Asgardian warriors lacked, and his hair...she really liked the thought of running her fingers through his hair. Hela quickly turned her attention back to the fire. She had clearly been locked away for too long, she thought to herself. 

Loki smiled with a soft laugh. He was sitting next to her, close enough that he was aware of how nice she smelled. Which was rather odd he thought. She smelled like...vanilla, warm vanilla mixed with sugar. 

Loki decided to push that rather odd thought away before he spoke. “That is why Thor always had me do all the cooking. He was a terrible cook.” He motioned at the darkness around them. “Oh there are all sorts of spices around here if you know what you are looking for...though it was rather odd how, after seeing nothing for so long, a rabbit showed up just when we needed it.” 

Hela tossed the rabbit bone onto the fire. “Agreed. Though, why is it these things never work...for example, I want a door that when it opens leads me to Asgard.” She motioned with her hand and nothing happened. Hela pointed at the spot of empty air. “See...never useful...magic.” Hela sighed. 

Loki smiled at her. “Careful there...whatever it is might decide you are not being grateful enough for the rabbit...then ‘poof!’ No more rabbits.” 

Hela rolled her eyes. “True...sorry…” She said that last in a whisper with a smile. 

“So, you and Thor used to run around a lot?” Hela asked, rubbing her hands on her thighs deciding to change the subject. 

Loki shrugged. “We did. We were inseparable. Everywhere Thor went so did I--whether I wanted to or not.” 

Hela tilted her head gazing into the fire and played with her hair, slowly wrapping a dark lock around her finger. “I always wanted a sibling...not as much when I was older, but when I was little I wanted a brother or sister a great deal. Someone I could tell stories to...someone to just...” 

“Someone to boss around?” Loki said with a smirk. 

Hela laughed. “Well, yes, but that wasn’t the only reason. It would have been nice to have a friend I suppose. Someone who didn’t need something from me except to love them.” 

“Oh boo hoo, poor powerful Hela didn’t have any friends.” Loki chided her and Hela picked up a rock and tossed at Loki who laughed and ducked out of the way. 

“Oh shut up. You are an ass, you know that?” Hela muttered. “You wouldn’t understand. You always had a brother.” 

Loki chuckled softly. “No...I do. After I took the throne and pretended to be father...I missed my brother. I mean, ruling was...fun I suppose, though not as much fun as getting Thor into trouble or the two of us doing something stupid and trying to figure a way out. ” Loki picked up a pebble and tossed it into the fire. “We had the most fun when he didn’t bring the Warriors Three...though I suppose you took care of that. I didn’t see them--did you…?” He asked tilting his head. 

Hela shrugged. “They’re not dead, or at least I didn’t kill them. Well, maybe I killed one of them... Hogun? I think that was how he declared himself. I wasn’t really listening by that point, but yes, I think I did kill him.” She tapped her finger on her chin in thought. 

Loki opened his mouth to respond when Hermod groaned. “Are you two going to let me starve while you discuss what murderers you both are?” 

Hela narrowed her eyes. “Ah, the coward is awake.” 

She stood up and walked closer only to give Hermond a kick in the side. “You griss…” 

Hela was clearly ready to go into a long list of names for the man, her foot back and ready to punctuate each word with a kick, when Loki jumped up and grabbed her arm. “Hela...kicking him isn’t going to help at this point.” Loki smiled gently at her and Hela sighed. “Perhaps you are right, but it would certainly make me feel better.” 

She walked back to where she had been sitting on a large rock crossing her arms over her chest. 

Hermod smiled. “Thank you brother.” 

“Oh don’t you dare start with me. I’m on her side,” Loki warned, helping Hermod to sit up. 

Hermod smiled. He was a nice looking man, but there was something about his features that made Loki want to punch him in the face, especially the way he kept looking at Hela, as if he was sure he could still charm her. Loki narrowed his eyes with a glare at Hermod. His feeling that had been fairly neutral moments before was quickly turning into annoyance. 

Hermod grinned. “Are you going to untie me and let me feed myself or are you going to feed me like we used to Hela? Remember that time at Vimur...you were naked…” Hela had just pushed herself to her feet to slap Hermod, but was taken by surprise when Loki was the one who shot up and punched Hermod hard enough to knock the other man backwards. 

Loki hissed. “You will show respect Hermod or I swear you are going to…” 

Hela reached out, laying her hand on Loki’s shoulder. Her voice was soft with...shock maybe...she wasn't sure. No one, in hundreds of years, had ever come to Hela’s defense. Not that she needed someone to come to her defense. Hela had been taking care of herself for a long time--most of her life, it seemed. But, she thought with a faint reddish hue coloring her cheeks, it was nice… 

“Thank you Loki,” she said gently, trying the words. For a moment the two of them just looked at each other; the fire’s light made their faces glow. Loki smiled at her and Hela felt something in her chest, as if her heart had skipped a beat when Hermod groaned loudly. 

“You two aren't…? By Odin’s beard!! You are…” 

Hela’s hand snapped out quickly, grabbing Hermod by the throat and lifting the man off his feet. She smiled nastily at her former lover. 

“Hermod, you have two choices here: either tell us everything you know about this place or I see if I can really, really kill you this time.” She tilted her head. “All right?” Hermod choked back. “All right.” 

She dropped him. 

Loki watched her grinning ear to ear.


	3. Beasts in the Mist

The fog around them seemed to thicken as Hela sat in front of Hermod (who still had his hands tied with the ropes that Loki had fashioned from some thick, sturdy vines they had found; the odd place they were in provided.) Hela’s legs were stretched out in front of her, crossed at the ankles, allowing Loki to appreciate how long and shapely her legs where. Clearly Hermod was a fool as well as an ass to cause Hela to dump him. She was strong, beautiful and intelligent. He couldn’t see why any man would not want her, even with her temper. But Loki had learned that people in general were stupid creatures be they Asgardian, human or frost giant. 

Loki sat on a grouping of boulders just a little behind and above Hermod, granting him a perfect view of Hela, but also allowed him to keep watch on Hermod. Loki ran his teeth over his bottom lip finding himself distracted with watching Hela. She looked lovely, the fire’s light enhancing her striking features as she rather seductively ran her forefinger over her bottom lip before she spoke. Loki thought that if he were under that gaze he might buckle and give her anything she wanted. The thought was both disturbing and a little delicious...giving himself over to someone both powerful, seductive...Loki swallowed and pushed those thoughts away to examine another time and focused his attention on what she was currently doing and not where his mind had tried to wander. Clearly he had been celibate a little too long. 

Hela smiled, her voice soft and warm. “So, I suppose the first question would be: did I send you here?” She smiled, leaning forward and tilted her head, her long dark hair falling off her shoulder to catch the fire’s light and shining like black gold. 

Hermod shook his head. “Nope, wasn’t you.” 

“So when I dropped the boulder on you...you got away?” Hela asked in surprise. 

Hermod shrugged. “Told you I was fast.” 

Hela rolled her eyes. “Shivering little coward.” 

Hermod frowned. “No need to be rude Hela, my sweet.” 

“Call me your ‘sweet’ one more time Hermod and we will see how you like spending your afterlife with a much higher pitched voice.” The smile Hela gave Hermod was as deadly as it was beautiful. 

Hermod swallowed. “You wouldn’t.” 

Hela smiled. “I dropped a boulder on you Hermod, what do you think?” 

Hermod paled then spoke quietly. “It was Amora.” 

Hela made a face. “Amora? That little bitch. I thought she was with Skurge.” 

(Loki cringed. He had worked with Amora in the past, though nothing on an intimate level. The Asgardian sorceress was attractive, but something about her always put him off no matter how many times she tried to seduce him. But he had the distinct impression that he should never, under any circumstances, tell Hela he had ever worked with Amora.) 

Hermod grinned. “She was, but we had a little fun on the side.” 

“Not that much fun apparently, if she is the one that killed you.” Hela smirked. 

Hermod frowned at her before he continued. “Well, anyway, she caught me with Brunnhilda and well, she struck a dagger in my throat.” The bound runner looked decidedly uncomfortable. 

Hela chuckled. “So you aren’t as fast as you claim.” 

Loki chuckled. 

Hermod turned and glared over his shoulder at Loki, who simply smiled down at the prisoner. 

“So…” Hela stood and forced Hermod to turn to face her. She made an elegant movement with her fingers that Loki could appreciate, a sleight of hand gesture, a simple non-magical movement, but done well, as she had just shown. The movement looked like a magical gesture, making it seem as if the gemstone, the Heart, had simply appeared in her hand. Loki was quite good as sleight of hand himself, having used this simple trick on Thor and the Warriors Three more times than he could count. Sometimes non-magical and simple was just as effective as magic--especially against the weak minded. 

Hela tossed the magical stone back and forth between her hands as she walked closer to Loki, forcing Hermod to turn completely around. 

“Tell me what you know of this place and I might let you keep both eyes,” Hela offered pleasantly. She walked by Loki and gave him a wink and a grin before she turned back to Hermod. Loki pressed his lips together in an effort not to smile at her tactics. 

Hermod shrugged. “Not much to tell really, there are a lot of draugr...not all of them are Asgardian though. Some are of other species.” 

“Other species?” Hela asked, stopping in front of Loki’s slightly elevated seat. 

Loki leaned forward, interested in what Hermod had to say. 

Hermod frowned. “This place doesn’t seem to be exclusive to our dead. I’ve encountered others such as Xandarians, Sakaarans, Dark Elves, Frost Giants, Chitauri and Centaurians--just to name a few--but there there are others that I have no idea what they are. Some look human, while others...” Hermod shrugged. 

Hela glanced at Loki, her brow furrowed in confusion before she turned back to Hermod. “That makes no sense.” 

He shrugged again. “No, but there it is.” 

“And the gem, controls all the undead or only draugr?” Hela asked as Loki dropped down to stand beside her with a slight tilt of his head to the side as he regarded their prisoner. 

“It only controls draugr, but the stone will paralyze other undead for a time. That’s how I’ve survived.” Hermod said. “But other than that, I’ve not seen anyone else like us.” 

Hela turned to Loki and motioned him closer. Loki stepped close and leaned his head toward her as she whispered in his ear, her breath tickling his ear in a most pleasant way. (And this close he was treated to the warm vanilla scent of her body.) “I’ve heard stories of a place where the not truly dead go, but in the stories I know it was only a place for Asgardians who could not reach Valhalla or Niflheim, an in-between place...some place of no name.” 

Loki frowned. “I’ve never heard of this ‘place of no name.’” 

Hela shook her head. “You wouldn’t have. Most Asgardians know nothing about it. I only know because I’m the goddess of Death and even then I only know snippets of stories, nothing verifiable, no full stories.” 

Loki leaned yet closer to Hela. He could sense that this information upset Hela more than she let on. When he leaned closer to her she reached out and took his hand. He could feel a coldness in her fingers; she was scared, truly scared. Loki surprised himself when he wrapped his hand around hers and held tightly. Hela squeezed his hand back. 

“The stories that I know give very little information, only that those stuck there are given a choice, to fight to be granted entrance to Valhalla or Niflheim, but some stories hinted that those trapped here may fight to regain their life.” 

Loki’s eyes lit up. “Really?” 

Hela shrugged. “I don’t know. As far as I knew they were only stories and not even full stories at that. No place like that existed and no one ever spoke of it.” 

Loki began to reply when Hela’s eyes flicked to the side and she made an angry gasp. 

Loki followed her gaze to see Hermod, loose and running away from them. 

Hela cursed. “That argr bacraut!!!” 

Loki gasped in surprise at the insult as Hermod turned and waved as he rushed up the hillside. 

“Sorry Hela my sweet, but as much as I love to talk to you and your new Kærasta I really should be going!” Hermod laughed and turned, taking off at a run into the fog, but no sooner had he turned to begin running away from them, when a huge form stepped out of the fog. 

As Loki and Hela watched, the large shape, at least a head and shoulders taller than Hermod with skin the color of orange leather, stepped out of the mist and backhanded 

Hermod to slam the cowardly Asgardian in the back of the head and sent his body flying off into the fog. 

Loki nearly choked on a gasp mixed with a laugh as Hela murmured. “Holy Odin.” 

The figure turned to watch as Hermod disappeared in the fog before slowly turning and making its way down the hillside toward them. 

Loki frowned, his hands tightening around the hilts of his daggers. “Friend or foe?” 

Hela pursed her lips, sliding her hands over her hair. Loki watched in fascination as her hair began to form her headpiece which made her both beautiful and a little frightening. Hela dropped her hands down to her sides, her necroblades sliding into existence. “Mm...I’m going to say foe at the moment, little brother, unless we can change his mind.” 

Loki pulled his daggers and flipped them with an arrogant gesture. “Just what we need--a fight with…” he tilted his head to the side. “What is it..?” Loki’s eyes widened just slightly as he suddenly realized what Hela had called him again. He sighed in frustration as he gave Hela a sideways glare. “Don’t call me little brother,” he snarled, but without any real rancor. 

Hela smirked at him glancing sideways before swiftly looking away. He was damnably handsome with that look of murder in his eyes, his lips set in a firm line...and those fine cheekbones. She had never seen a man with a face like that...and just now, he smiled. A wickedly gleeful smile which made her feel things she hadn’t felt in ages. Hela swallowed and turned her attention back to the huge creature coming their way. She had no idea what was happening to her, but Loki was certainly becoming a... 

Before Hela could finish her thought the large creature came clearly into view. The orange skin did indeed look very much like leather the closer the creature approached. The face of the monster was heavy with ape-like features, long reddish hair and beard, while the hair was also a thick red on its arms and legs. The massively built biped wore only a green breastplate and sturdy leather breeches for protection, and its overly large seeming hands (that reminded Loki far too vividly of the Hulk’s fists) were lined with knuckle covers of silver-like metal. 

Hela hissed. “Ulik?” 

Loki turned fully toward her. “You know it?” 

Hela shrugged. “Not personally, but I’ve seen Ulik the Troll on the battlefield before, when Father and I came to conquer the trolls and make them kneel before us--well, before Father at least--I never fought him myself, but I’ve certainly heard a great deal about him and none of it is good. He hates Asgardians, though I suppose since we conquered his people he has good reason...I thought he was truly dead though.” 

Loki groaned. “Of course he hates Asgardians.” 

As the troll came closer, he began to run, picking up speed. 

Loki grimaced. “Well, I don’t think he is happy to see us.” 

Ulik roared. “HELA!” 

Loki smirked. “Well, maybe he just isn’t happy to see you.” 

Hela made a face, the darkness around her vivid eyes deepened, which only enhanced the blue of her gaze. She didn’t have time to answer before the troll was on them both. 

The powerful creature charged straight at Hela. She threw herself backwards, twisting in a graceful leap out of the way just as the troll brought both fists down on the spot she had occupied only a heartbeat, before creating a deep impact crater in the ground with its rough fists. 

Loki threw himself to the side, rolling to his feet, but the troll ignored him for Hela. 

Ulik roared again. “Get back here, you witch!! I’m going to rip your skinny arms off!” 

Hela landed lightly on her feet and smiled. “Still sad about Odin killing your father?” 

Ulik snarled, saliva dripping from between his fangs and his eyes filled with fury. 

Hela smiled. “I’ll take that as a yes.” 

She threw her hands out, her blades flying from her grasp only to be replaced by several others as she continued to throw her weapons at the troll. Ulik used his fists to bash the blades out of the air, steadily making his way closer to Hela. Ulik threw a fist that looked certain to hit her in the face Loki thought as he stood out of the way watching, but Hela threw herself up and away from the angry troll in an elegant cartwheel. She landed only a couple of steps away from the troll throwing several more of her blades at the roaring troll, who continued knocking her blades from the air just as swiftly as she created them. 

Loki frowned. Should he help her? 

She was his only ally in this strange place...his sister--technically, though they were not truly related--and he found himself becoming strangely attracted to her. She was a beautiful woman, curvy, sexy...Loki shifted uncomfortably as his body betrayed him with its attraction to her even right now, in combat--all of which was reason enough not to help her. The god of mischief didn’t need the distraction of her...but...Loki sighed. Being around Thor so much must have had a thoroughly bad influence on him. Hela gasped in surprise when one of the troll’s fists caught her in the face, striking her hard enough that she flipped over and landed hard onto her back, knocking the air from her lungs in a painful rush; a line of blood trickled down from her now split lip. 

As she lay gasping trying to catch her breath and tasting a hint of coppery blood in her mouth, Ulik laughed, the sound like rocks tumbling together down a hillside. “Looks like your power has diminished Hela, or maybe this place has cut your power into bits. Either way--I win.” 

Loki sighed and rolled his eyes before he muttered loudly. “Stop, you foul beast...that’s my sister.” 

Hela turned to look at Loki in surprise. He looked devilishly handsome standing in a battle pose, his long hair curled around his shoulders, that smile of his and those eyes...plus everything else...his slim yet very fit body...Hela could have groaned at herself. Her thoughts were so much like an adolescent girl with a foolish fascination, but she forced her thoughts of attraction aside and said, coughing. “I thought you said I wasn’t your sister?” 

Loki glared at her as concern, annoyance and attraction warred inside him. “Oh shut up.” 

Hela smiled painfully as Ulik turned toward Loki. “And who are you, little Asgardian?” 

Loki smiled devilishly. “I am Loki, Prince of Asgard, Odinson. The rightful King of Jotunheim, God of Mischief…” 

Ulik interrupted Loki with a grunt. “Never heard of you.” 

Loki rolled his eyes before he took a running leap at the troll, his daggers raised over his head. Loki landed with both feet striking the troll squarely on the chest at the same time his daggers hit Ulik in the shoulders; the blades sunk in but only barely. The troll snorted, grabbed Loki around the waist, and threw him, sending the sorcerer tumbling head over feet to land next to Hela. 

Loki groaned with pain when he hit the ground and lifted his head only to have Hela, who had pushed herself to her feet during his distraction, grin. “Not much of a rescue, little brother.” 

Loki growled, rising to his feet. “Stop calling me little brother!” 

Ulik roared at them. “You are both irritating me!” 

Hela laughed. “Imagine how we feel?” 

Ulik charged at them both, slamming the metal of his fists together. 

Hela and Loki stood side by side, Hela producing more blades while Loki held tightly to his daggers when they all heard a rumble. All three of them stopped and shared a look. 

Ulik’s eyes narrowed as he muttered. “Not me.” 

They all looked around as the sound became louder followed by cracks that began to appear under their feet, followed only seconds later by a large sinkhole that swallowed their campfire. The three of them jumped back as fire, earth and rock fell into the hole...followed by silence. 

The three of them frowned and, as with some silent, unanimous decision, the three of them walked to the edge of the sinkhole and looked down into the darkness. 

Loki said softly, though he had no idea why he felt the need to whisper. “Well, that was odd.” 

Hela wrinkled her nose. “Do you smell that?” 

Ulik sniffed the air with his broad nostrils, then recoiled. “Smells like death.” 

Loki wrinkled his nose in disgust. “Like rotten corpses.” 

“And sewage and...blood,” Hela added with a shudder. 

As if on some cue from the universe, a sound emanated from the hole. It began low...like a whine that quickly escalated into a deep, liquid roar. 

Loki grabbed Hela’s arm and pulled her back. “I think we should go. Now.” 

Hela let Loki pull her back. 

Ulik stepped closer to the edge of the hole and hissed. “I can see movement down there.” 

Loki hissed. “Ulik get away from there, something isn’t right!” He didn’t really care about the troll’s fate, but perhaps the beast could aid Hela and him yet in a way that Loki had yet to work out. 

Ulik turned to look at the two Asgardians, confused by the sudden concern when the first clawed hand burst from the hole and grasped the edge of the rough rock and soil. The hand had four long, boney fingers and a long, crooked thumb covered in flesh the color of decaying flesh, grey and mottled pus-like yellow. The claws that tipped each finger were hooked, curved, grey and black with dried blood. This was followed by a second clawed hand. 

The creature slowly pulled itself up, the head emerging gradually from the darkness. It had a set of antlers dipped in blood, yellowed with swirls of black twisting around the dangerously pointed bone. This was followed by the emergence of the monster’s head. The head was deer-like, but unlike a deer, the head was not only too big to be one of those gentle creatures, but the mouth that came into view was filled with rows of sharp teeth, almost too much for the creature’s mouth to contain them all, and each fang dripping blood and gore. The dark fur of the creature’s head was matted black and brown with dried blood. Its snout was slicked with gore and the eyes that stared at the three of them were red and wide with viciousness and murder in them. 

As the remainder of the monster emerged from the hole, they saw a desiccated body with an exposed rib cage, rotted fur and flesh pulled back to expose yellowed bone. Inside the cage of the monster’s ribs, the trio could see the sickly black and red of the beast’s beating heart, the rotten forms of its lungs expanding with each breath. Beneath that, the monster’s grey, slimy stomach and the twisting, fetid mass of its intestines pulsed. 

As the creature fully emerged from the stinking pit, Loki swallowed in revulsion at the further exposure of the monster’s hind legs, too large for its body, hooved and covered in blood and gore slicked fur. The arms were muscled, seen through patches of dark fur, too long for its torso and dragged the ground. The monster stood on its hooved feet, looking at each of them with a malevolence that was palpable. 

Ulik had been smart enough after the head began to emerge to quickly backpedal to stand with Hela and Loki. The troll now whispered in awe and fright. 

“What is it?” 

Hela’s voice was low and laced with revulsion and something Loki did not think he would hear from Hela--fear. 

“That is a wendigo.”


	4. Sing a Song

Loki’s eyes widened, the blue almost lost in the white as he stared at the horrible creature. 

He glanced sideways at Hela, hoping she was wrong, but knowing deep down she wasn't and hissed. “Wendigo?’ 

The gulp from Ulik was audible before the troll whispered in a voice that in reality was far too loud to be a whisper, asked. “Ah, would running work, you think?” 

Hela glanced up at the big troll looking slightly annoyed “What kind of troll are you?” 

Ulik shrugged. “The kind that likes to live.” 

Hela pursed her lips. “No, running won’t help. Running will only encourage it to chase you and disembowel you.” 

Loki frowned. “That thing could disembowel a troll? “ 

Hela nodded. “It’s deadly.” 

Loki licked his lips. “Why hasn’t it made a move? Why is it staring at us like that? I don’t like it.” 

Hela frowned. “If I were to hazard a guess, I think it's trying to decide which one of us is the weak link.” 

The three of them looked at each other with Hela and Loki immediately pointing at Ulik who pointed at Loki. 

Ulik frowned. “Hey, that isn’t nice.” 

Loki narrowed his eyes. “Me?” 

Ulik shrugged. “Well, you are small and skinny.” 

“Skinny! I will have you know that…” Loki started, but Hela hissed. “Boys, not now!” 

That was the moment the wendigo let out a noise that made Loki’s blood run cold. He muttered until his breath, “Oh, fuck me,” just as the wendigo began to lope toward them picking up speed far too quickly. 

Unsurprisingly the creature leapt at Ulik, landing hard enough on the troll that it drove him back several steps. The beast attached to him like a giant spider grasping its prey. The troll let out a surprisingly high pitched scream as the claws of the creature dug into his stone-like skin easily, its mouth full of teeth snapping at him; the only reason the monster hadn’t taken out his throat or ripped the troll’s face off was because Ulik had brought his great fists up in time to block the monster, one hand against its strangely thin chest, the other wrapped around the wendigo’s throat. 

Ulik cried out. “Help me!” 

Hela rushed over and grabbed Loki’s upper arm. “ Come! We should go while it’s distracted!” 

Loki frowned. 

A smart part of him agreed with the death goddess, flee while you can...but there was that part, that part his brother had a hold on, that told him to help the troll...that same part that had gotten him killed for Thor. 

Loki fought with himself for a few precious seconds while Ulik and the wendigo struggled, before he yanked his arm free from Hela’s grasp. 

He turned to look at Hela, his blue eyes bright. The look in them took her breath away as he stated with clear annoyance. (Though Hela had to wonder if his annoyance was with her or with himself.) “I have to help him.” 

Loki moved quickly toward the troll and the wendigo. 

Hela stood there in frustration. She could go it alone, leave Loki to die like the idiot he was...or she could help. She had spent so much of her life alone...even when she was fighting alongside her father, she had always really been alone. Father had never understood her, understood what drove her, that it was more than blood, more than power or conquest--it was love. She had loved her father dearly, she still did despite all that he had done to her, throwing her away and forgetting about her, like some unruly animal. She had spent years alone, looking for acceptance in the arms of lovers, but she always ended up alone. Loki was different...at least she hoped this was different, she wanted it to be different. And she simply couldn’t deny that small part of her that wanted to change, that wanted to help him, that wanted him to see her as more than simply the Goddess of Death. She wanted to be more. 

Hela sighed with a muttered, “Your own death has made you a fool Hela.” 

She took off after Loki. “Wait for me little brother!” 

Loki yelled back without looking at her. “Don’t call me little brother!!!” 

Hela grinned as she gave chase. 

* 

Ulik bellowed using all his strength to push back on the wendigo, hoping to dislodge the beast so that he could ply his fists to better effect, but one of his heels hit a stone protruding out of the ground. Ulik shoved against the monster while he fell, the claws of the wendigo ripping across his shoulders, tearing both his stone flesh and the leather straps of his garment. He was sure if he hit the ground with this monster on his chest, the thing would rip out his throat. But suddenly Ulik, a moment before he hit the ground, was free. The creature either released him or Ulik had broken its hold; he couldn’t be sure which, but the monster was gone by the time Ulik's great bulk slammed into the ground. 

Loki saw the wendigo leap away from the troll, landing almost gracefully on its feet before it spun to face him, hissing. Its mouth seemed so full of teeth it was a wonder the creature could even fully close its mouth. Mentally Loki groaned. Why had it released Ulik and why...just a general why. The universe had a terrible sense of humor he thought with a scowl. 

The wendigo moved swiftly, cutting the distance between itself and Loki, one large, long clawed hand took a swipe at him. Loki leaned over out of the way turning to the right at the same time he thrust forward with his right hand, the blade held in that hand catching the creature in the upper chest. If the blade hurt it, the wendigo gave no indication as it clawed at Loki, the tips of the monster’s blood soaked claws ripped through the front of Loki’s clothing, tearing into his chest and leaving bloody lines along his flesh underneath. The wounds weren’t deep or fatal, but Loki hissed, the sting of the wounds a shock. 

Loki twisted his body away from the monster and kicked the wendigo in the chest with enough force that he knocked it off his blade and back a step or two. When the creature stumbled back, that was when Loki saw two necroblades slam into the monster, piercing it high in its chest, the blades making a deep sounding thunk when they hit the beast. 

The wendigo grunted with the impact, whipping its head toward the source. Now its full attention was on Hela. 

Hela cried out. “Loki get away from it! Grab Ulik and run, I’ll keep it distracted!” 

She raced to the left, the wendigo now having completely forgotten about Loki, it’ attention on Hela as her lithe form took off toward the rockier hillside. 

Loki cursed and ran toward Ulik, grabbing the troll’s massive hand. “Can you stand?” 

Ulik nodded. “Yeah, let go.” 

Loki released the troll and took a step back as Ulik shoved himself to his feet. Loki motioned with his head. “Come on, we have to help her!” 

Ulik looked for a split second as if he might refuse, but then he shrugged. At least this wasn’t Thor, the troll thought with a curl of his lip. “Come on little Asgardian.” And took off in the direction that Hela and the wendigo had gone, their forms almost swallowed by the fog already. 

Loki snarled. “I hate this feeling!” 

Ulik looked back. “What feeling is that?” 

“Responsibility!” Loki groused. 

* 

The wendigo caught up with Hela easily. She spun around just as the monster took a swing at her. She threw herself into the air, spinning gracefully and landed just a few feet away in a crouch. Hela flung her hands out, fingers extended, necroblades flying from her fingertips to hit the wendigo in the gut, but even her weapons did little to slow the creature down. It ripped the blades from its body and charged her. Hela had barely enough time to throw her arm up blocking one of the claws from removing her face; at the same time she reached out with her other hand and wrapped her fingers around the wendigo's forearm preventing it from disemboweling her. She wrinkled her nose in disgust. This close, the stench of the creature was overpowering and when she touched the wendigo, her fingers sank into the matted fur. She could feel congealed blood and other even less pleasant things against her fingertips. 

The wendigo roared in her face, spittle smacking against her cheeks. She squinted her eyes and hissed in disgust. 

“Ah, you’re revolting!” She clenched her jaws tight and pushed with all her strength against the beast, breaking free, but the monster didn’t want to let it’s prize go. Before Hela could flip herself out of the way, it lunged with a swiftness that startled Hela again. She threw her arms up protecting her face, the claws scrabbling for her neck and pushed back. 

The wendigo moved back, but only by a step before it lunged closer, moving under her guard and grabbed her around her waist. 

Hela let out a startled cry as the creature lifted her up off her feet, the tips of its claws biting through her clothing and into her skin before it threw her to the ground. She hit the unyielding ground hard, landing on her chest, her chin scraping against the sharp points of rocks. She tasted blood in her mouth and the impact was enough that the air was knocked from her lungs, a sensation that she hadn’t felt in eons it seemed. The pain was nearly blinding, but before she had a chance to recover the wendigo landed on top of her. 

Hela snarled and pushed herself up, both her and the wendigo on her back flying backwards. She flipped back over the top of the creature, pulling herself free. She hissed in pain as its claws cut into her, but she was free and behind it. She flung her hands out, blades slicing into the creature, but despite its wounds, the monster turned, roaring into her face. This time when it slashed at her, its claws dug across her chest, biting across the tops of her breasts. She gasped at this new, sudden pain. The wendigo took another swipe, this time aiming at her midsection, ready to spill her insides, but before the monster could land a possible killing blow, something blocked it. 

Hela blinked, startled to see Loki between her and the monster. 

Loki grinned with a quick glance at Hela. “Surprise.” 

He flung himself forward, bringing both blades up and sliced at the monster. Loki crossed his arms as he brought his blades across the monster’s throat, cutting as deeply as he could while at the same time dropping down into a roll as it reached for him. He hit the ground, rolled under its legs at the same moment that Ulik seemed to form out of the darkness and with a roar grabbed the wendigo’s head, wrapping his thick fingers around its chin and gave a might heave, his thick muscles bulging. 

Loki rolled smoothly to his feet and took another swipe at the monster, his blades cutting at its throat while its claws wildly lashed out. Ulik continued to pull, the flesh of the creature’s throat tearing, popping, blood spurting. Loki ducked under the claws, his blades slicing deep into the moonster’s gut just as Ulik let out a roar, throwing his entire body back and tore the monster’s head off in a gush of dark, hot blood. 

Loki hurried over to Hela who had fallen to her knees. She smiled at him when he was close. He grimaced looking at her; the wounds along her chest were much deeper than his own and still bleeding. There was blood trickling from the corner of her mouth along with smaller wounds around her waist. 

She chuckled. “That was very brave lit...Loki.” 

He put his arm under her and lifted her to her feet ignoring her compliment and the fact that she didn’t call him little brother. “Do you think you can walk?” 

Hela gave him a wry smile. “No.” 

Then she collapsed. Loki struggled to grab her, preventing her from taking him down with her. He growled softly lifting her up and grabbed her legs to carry her bridal style away from the mess that was the remains of the wendigo. 

* 

When Hela woke, every part of her body seemed to hurt. She hadn’t felt this bad since...well, she simply couldn’t remember. Not having her full powers as the Goddess of Death...it was worse than annoying. She didn’t move when she woke, could tell moving was going to hurt worse, so she lay still with her eyes closed and assessed her wounds as best as she could. She could feel something over the top of her breasts, (the top of her outfit torn open or rather. it looked as if someone had cut it to clear the cloth away from the wounds.) Whatever it was, it was dry now. And the wounds, while they still hurt, didn’t hurt as much as she would have thought considering she now didn’t heal like she once did with her full powers. She could taste the gummy texture of semi-dried blood on her tongue and teeth, her bottom lip hurt, feeling slightly swollen. There were any number of minor cuts and bruises, but she seemed to be whole. After assessing her damage, she realized she could hear the soft sound of voices, the sound of two people trying to speak low. She frowned even deeper when she realized it was Loki and Ulik. 

She rolled herself onto her side and groaned with pain. 

Loki, who had been sitting by the fire stirring the stew that he and Ulik had put together, jumped up, grabbed a bowl that sat beside him, and hurried over to Hela’s side. 

“Careful, you don’t want to reopen your wounds.” Loki spoke gently, reaching down to take her hand and carefully pulled her to a sitting position. 

Hela’s hair fell in a soft curtain across her pale face as she sat up, the darkness around her eyes seemed deeper, making the blue of her eyes that much more startling. She looked over at Loki through the dark veil of her hair. “How long was I out?” she asked. 

Loki smiled surprising both of them when he reached out and gently ran his fingers through her hair, tucking it behind her ear. “Not long, perhaps an hour or so. Here, be still and let me recover your wounds. I found some sphagnum moss for everyone’s wounds.” He glanced down at his own chest where Hela could see that some of the cloth of his outfit had been torn away, the wounds there covered in the dark green mixture of moss and water. 

He started to reach for the dried moss on her chest, stopping himself when his fingers were mere inches from her breasts. “Do you mind if I…” He tilted his head, gazing at her. 

Hela shook her head. “No, it’s fine.” 

Loki nodded and picked off the bits of dried moss. Now that she was sitting up, Hela could see in the firelight, the dried and withered bits of greenery on her chest. She also felt some of the moss, bound tight on the wounds along her waist. Loki shifted closer, his eyes narrowed to examine the long cuts that ran across the top of her breasts, while at the same time trying not to be distracted by her--he swallowed--breasts. This had been so much easier when she had been unconscious he thought, silently berating himself. She had still been beautiful while unconscious, but he hadn’t had to deal with her eyes, to the way she looked at him. 

Loki took a deep breath, dipping his fingers into the bowl and began to gently spread the green moss-like substance across her chest. His touch was a gentle caress, mixed with the liquid coolness of the mixture. His touch eased the pain that had started the moment he removed the dried crust of the moss he had placed on her wounds earlier. He moved his fingers across the top of her breasts gently. Hela leaned into his touch, letting herself relax. A thought played through her mind, that Loki was probably a tender, gently lover, one who cared for his partner. She bit down on her slightly swollen bottom lip, and the flash of pain chased away the intrusive thought. 

She swallowed, sighing with relief as Loki caressed her wound, coating it in the healing moss mixture, keeping all thoughts of how Loki would be in bed to the back of her mind, though she couldn’t deny his touch was pleasant. 

She sighed softly before she asked. “Where did you get the bowl? The pot?” She glanced at the fire and the large shadow that sat there. “Ulik?” She motioned with her head toward the fire. Loki continued to spread the healing moss over her, his eyes glanced from her breasts to her face. She looked so much younger, so much more gentle at this moment. For a heartbeat Loki could see the woman she had been once, beautiful, sweet even, the lovely woman whose father had turned her into a weapon and then discarded her. He shook his head slightly to banish the thought before he spoke again. “Ulik seems to think we are all friends now. I didn’t think it wise to disagree with him.” 

She smiled. “I see this place makes strange bedfellows.” 

Loki chuckled and wiped his fingers on his thigh. “There, that should help.” 

Hela motioned at his wounds. “Would you like me to…” 

Loki blushed. “Ah, no it’s fine…” 

But Hela snatched the bowl from him. “Please, let me help you as you help me, little…” She paused, smiling a thin lipped smile before she murmured. “Loki.” 

She reached out to brush the dried healing mixture from his much more shallow wounds before she dipped her fingers into the bowl and shifted closer to caress her fingers over his chest. 

Loki stiffened as she dragged her fingers gently over the wounds. “What happened after I so unceremoniously, and embarrassingly, passed out?” 

Loki relaxed a little, speaking would keep his mind off her fingers as she touched him. “Well Ulik and I had a little talk. We fought well together and I convinced him it would be better for us to join forcess, considering that wendigo was probably not the only one of its kind here, and Odin knows what else might be lurking in this place. We have agreed to put our differences aside for the moment. Besides, Ulik says that there is a settlement of survivors not too far from here. That is where he picked up his supplies: the bowl, the pot and some other things.” 

Hela nodded. It was only now that Loki had stopped speaking that he realized Hela was singing very, very softly under her breath while she applied the ointment. She didn’t stop when he became quiet, as if the simple task of applying ointment was soothing to her, drawing a little more of the true Hela out of her shell. 

It was an old lullaby, and Loki knew it for his mother had sang it to him when he was little and when he had nightmares, dreams that he now knew were of Jotunheim. 

Hela’s voice was sweet as she sang the whispered words. 

“What is your love? 

Oh I do not know, But I do not eat the morning in the evening! 

Is your head being sore? 

Oh I do not know, But I do not eat the morning in the evening! 

Is it your mother? 

Oh I do not know, But I do not eat the morning in the evening!” 

She hummed then, finishing her task and wiping her fingers on her hip when she looked up to see Loki watching her intently. 

She frowned and Loki was surprised to see that the Goddess of Death could blush. 

Loki smiled and ran his hands along his thighs. “I just remember that song from when I was little.” 

Hela smiled as she set the bowl aside. “Mother used to sing it to me when I was tiny and even sometimes on nights when I was older, when there had been so much bloodshed that I couldn’t sleep. She would lay my head in her lap and stroke my hair, singing softly until the pain and nightmares were gone.” Hela frowned. “Those were the only nights I slept well.” 

Loki frowned studying her face. There really was a woman underneath the goddess. 

Loki reached out and laid his hand on hers. “I miss her too.” 

She looked up at him, her blue eyes so beautiful, framed by the darkness of her very soul. She turned her hand over and wrapped her fingers around his hand. Hela pressed her lips together forcing down the sudden upwelling of intense feelings. 

They were both quiet, sharing in their pain over the one person they both felt had truly loved them when Ulik grumbled, his voice like stones rolled against each other. 

“Are you two done flirting? Can we eat now? The stew is nearly done, so you two can rut about later. I promise to put my back to the fire and not listen, but right now I’m starving.” 

Hela’s cheeks turned red, a red that rushed to the tips of her ears as she stood up and snarled. “You...you vámr!!” 

Loki’s eyes were wide, but he said nothing...Hela seemed to be taking care of that as she launched herself into a very long and colorful tirade. Loki chuckled. He was duly impressed with her vocabulary and her colorful turn of phrase. 

When Hela took a moment to breathe before she launched into a new verbal assault, Ulik chuckled. “Haha, sticks and stones. Now come on--I’m hungry.” 

Hela seethed, but she suddenly wobbled. Loki was on his feet lightning quick to catch her, wrapping his arm around her waist. 

“Why am I so dizzy?” she asked in confusion. 

Loki frowned. “You lost some blood, not a great deal, but enough. Blood loss is not something you had to think about in years I would would suspect and you pushed yourself too. Additionally, Hela, you hit your head and you need to eat.” 

Hela gave him a soft smile. “Thank you doctor.” 

Loki shook his head, shifting her body against his own. She fit perfectly against him; her lithe figure melded against his side. Where his fingers pressed against her waist he could feel the warmth of her through the fabric of her clothing, smell her, a soft vanilla fragrance that came from her skin and hair. His body felt a sudden rush of heat. One of her arms was around his shoulders, her fingers clasping his shoulder. She leaned into him making that warm sensation that rushed through him that much more intense. 

He held her tight against him, probably tighter than was absolutely necessary as he guided her closer to the fire, guiding her down next to where he had been sitting only moments ago. Ulik watched them with a slightly amused expression before he handed Loki three bowls from a large pack after Loki had made sure Hela was comfortable. 

Hela watched as Loki dipped the bowls into the stew. Now that she was closer, Hela could smell the rich scent of cooked rabbit with some root vegetables she couldn’t quite place. She watched Loki, the firelight highlighting his cheeks and lips. She frowned then. He had no right to be that damn attractive. The ass, she thought with frown. 

Loki smiled gently at her as he handed her the bowl. “Try to eat it all.” 

She laughed softly. “Yes brother.” 

She took the bowl, the warmth of the stew seeping through the clay bowl into her chilled hands. It had been a long time since the weather affected her this way, but she was having a bad day. Loki wrinkled his nose in annoyance at her for calling him brother, but he filled another bowl, choosing to say nothing to her about the term as he passed the bowl to Ulik and lastly he filled a bowl for himself. 

Utilizing their fingers the three of them ate the thick rabbit stew with relish, though they ate in silence. Hela was surprised at her own appetite--after the first bite she dove in. She couldn’t remember food tasting this good in a very long time. 

Loki sneaked glances at her, a soft smile touching his lips. She looked so different, softer somehow, less like a goddess and more like a person. Loki was pondering the small change in Hela when his thoughts were disturbed by Ulik’s very loud belch. The noise came closer to sounding like an eruption than a belch, echoed off the rocks unseen in the fog around them. The burp bounced around before coming back to them. 

Hela raised a brow at Ulik. “I would guess that table manners are in short supply where trolls are concerned.” 

Loki muttered. “You clearly never ate a meal around Volstagg.” 

Hela chuckled. “Ah, I’m afraid you are wrong there. I have been subjected to Volstagg’s unique eating style on many occasions.” She dipped her finger into her bowl, picking up some of the gravy there and putting the finger into her mouth. 

Loki’s eyes widened as he watched her suck on her finger for a moment. He quickly looked away, his cheeks turning red. 

Hela spoke softly. “That old coot could eat and drink everyone under the table, his sons were even worse. I hated to kill him, really. He followed me into many a battle. He was a good warrior, though it didn’t surprise me that his murderous exploits were forgiven.” She glanced over at Loki for confirmation. 

Loki nodded. “I never heard a word spoken against him. He served by Thor’s side faithfully.” 

Hela snorted. “Well, Asgardians do tend to be hypocrites. We can all commit the same amount of murders in the name of Odin and Asgard, but some of us are labeled killers, while others wear the mantle of hero.” 

Loki nodded his agreement. 

Ulik belched again. “Enough talk about Asgard. You two are depressing.” He motioned at Hela. “Why don’t you sing for us?” 

Hela looked shocked. “What? Me? Why?” 

Ulik grinned. “Back home the most beautiful trolls would come into the longhouse after a good meal. They would sing and dance for our entertainment. The best of the bunch would get to sleep with the king’s chosen warriors…” Ulik smiled. “The dancers were the most prized bedmates, but the singers...I don’t think everyone appreciates a good singer in your bed. I always did.” 

Hela snorted. “Misogynist. I am not bedding you.” 

Ulik made a face and stuck his tongue out. “I wouldn’t have you. You’re too small...no meat on your bones. And who said the entertainers or warriors are all male?” He grinned. “There are some very pretty male trolls out there.” He winked. 

Loki laughed at the look of complete surprise on Hela’s face. 

Ulik motioned at her. “Go on, sing us a song!” 

“Why me? Why can’t he do it?” She pointed at Loki. 

Ulik shrugged. “Maybe he can, but I heard you singing to your boy there--you have a sweet voice. I want to hear more. After that he can sing.” 

Loki frowned. “What about you?” 

Ulik smiled. “I’ll sing last. The best should always be saved for last.” 

Hela rolled her eyes setting her bowl aside. At least the hot food in her belly made her feel much better. “Fine, I’ll give you a song.” 

She turned more fully to face the fire, placing her hands on her lap and sat up straight. She closed her eyes and counted to herself before she began to sing. 

“Drøymde mik ein draum i nótt 

um silki ok ærlig pell, 

um hægindi svá djupt ok mjott, 

um rosemd með engan skell.” 

Her voice was soft, sweet, the voice of a singer who had always sung alone. Loki smiled, his gaze on her. He knew the song, an old song that Loki always found a little sad, a song about finding peace alone. He sang softly along with her, keeping his voice at a whisper, but Hela heard him. She smiled and motioned at him. 

Loki scooted closer and added his voice to hers. 

“Ek fekk sofa lika vel, 

ek truða þat væri best — 

at hvila mik á goðu þel´ 

ok gløyma svá folki flest´. 

Friðinn, ef hann finzt, er hvar 

ein firrest þann mennska skell, 

fær veggja sik um, drøma þar 

um silki ok ærlig pell.” 

They brought the song to a close, their eyes on each other. 

Hela smiled at Loki surprising him when she reached out and took his hand. “I didn’t know you knew that song. Your voice is beautiful, God of Mischief.” 

Loki smiled with an embarrassed shrug. “I’ve heard it a time or two…” 

Ulik groaned. “Gods! Why don’t you two just fuck and get it over with?! And you call that a song?? Why do Asgardians always go for the more morose songs? Now you two sit back and hear a real song.” 

Ulik grinned wide and began to sing, his voice like a rock slide. 

“La meg fortelle om det som har hendt: 

På Moster har Tryggvasons skip gått I land. 

Messe I natten og fakler var tend. 

Nå smeltes jern, det er varder I brann!” 

Hela laughed softly as Ulik sang, though Loki noticed she didn’t release his hand. 

* 

Later that night, Hela lay asleep on her side, one hand tucked under her cheek. Loki had called first watch. He sat by the fire, his legs bent and his arms resting on his knees. Ulik was snoring, sounding for all the world like a volcano about to erupt while Hela made no sound at all. He tilted his head studying her in the fire’s light. She was indeed beautiful, he mused, noting her delicate features, long and slender body… 

Loki closed his eyes and turned away, his expression furious. He was furious with himself for letting himself become infatuated with her. She had tried to kill both him and Thor, she had helped destroy Asgard...she was an arrogant tyrant...she was also a beautiful, damaged woman who had no family to love her, no one who cared for her. Like him, she was alone in so many ways that...well that Thor would never understand, try as that great lug might. 

Loki sighed and stared into the fire, wondering if his brother was alive, if he had managed to escape Thanos...did they stop him? Or had his sacrifice for Thor been for nothing? Loki frowned chewing at his bottom lip as he folded his arms over the top of his knees and stared into the fire. He was disrupted from his dark thoughts by the sound of a whimper. He frowned turning toward the sound to see Hela twitching in her sleep. She looked distressed, her brow furrowed, the soft line of her lips pressed thin in fear. She twitched again followed by a soft sigh of distress. Loki frowned watching her. As she rolled onto her back, the firelight showed a single tear that crept from one closed eyelid and rolled down the side of her face. He blinked in surprise--was Hela crying? 

Loki stood up slowly and walked carefully over to her sleeping form. He moved toward her head and sat down cross-legged, facing her before he gently lifted her head and placed it on his lap. 

Hela continued to twitch, making small, soft sounds of distress, new tears forming at the corners of her eyes, but she never woke. 

Loki began with a soft hum, running the tips of his fingers along her temples and into her hair. After a few seconds he began to sing, his voice tender, his fingers soft as he caressed her brow. 

“What is your love? 

Oh I do not know, But I do not eat the morning in the evening…” 

He sang, caressing her hair and along her temples until she settled down into a peaceful sleep. Loki smiled gently, continuing to softly run his fingers through her hair. 

* 

When morning came, Hela woke with a smile. She hadn’t slept this well for a long time. She started to stretch her arms when she realized her head was not on the ground. Her eyes flew open and she looked up to see Loki, his upper body bent forward, his fingers in her hair, asleep. 

She blinked in surprise and began to move when Ulik spoke. 

“We both decided you needed rest more than either of us. He didn’t want to wake you by moving so…” The big troll shrugged his massive shoulders as he stirred something in the pot, from which the smell of oats and other grains drifted toward her. “I don’t think he meant to fall asleep like that…” He grinned in amusement his eyes still on what Hela assumed from the smell, was porridge that he was stirring, probably mixed with the remains of the rabbit stew from last night. “But he didn’t want to put your fair head down on the ground.” Ulik glanced up and grinned wider at her. “Seems you were having a bad dream and your skinny boy there didn’t like you having nightmares, so he sang you to sleep.” Ulik shook his head with a chuckle. “He’s got it bad, so you shouldn’t break the small man’s heart princess. I don’t think he could handle it...too skinny.” 

Hela shot Ulik a withering look while her heart did a strange flip that made her angry. She didn’t reply to the troll, instead looking back up at the man who was her adopted brother and a stranger, but who she was beginning to develop...something for...and she wasn’t sure if she was irritated or scared. 

Hela didn’t move, not wanting to wake Loki. Instead she stared up at his sleeping face. Had he calmed her nightmares? She wasn’t sure what to do with this information. No one since her mother had cared about her feelings, no one cared about her, the Goddess of Death ever. She caught her bottom lip with her teeth glaring up at him. Why was he doing this to her? Making her feel things! It wasn’t fair. 

That was the moment that Loki’s eyes popped open. 

Loki yelped. “Ah!” 

He scooted back so quickly that Hela’s head fell off his lap smacking against the ground. She yelped in return, grabbing her head while Loki jumped to his feet, at the same time tripping backwards over a rock as he stumbled to get away from her. 

Hela rolled over and glared at him. “What are you doing?” 

Loki put his hands up. “I wasn’t doing anything at all! I don’t know what you are a talking about!” 

Ulik sighed. “Will you two just come eat so we can set out before something hears the two of you and decides that whiny Asgardian sounds like a great start to their day.” 

Loki and Hela glared at each other before slowly turning their attention to Ulik and breakfast. 

* 

A watery sunlight broke through the fog, burning off the grey mist and slowly revealing more of the same rocky landscape they had been seeing for hours now. 

Hela winced in pain, her fingers reflexively drifting up to touch her healing chest as she walked next to Ulik. The large troll seemed perfectly happy, whistling a quite tune occasionally while Loki walked beside Hela, being sullenly quiet. 

Hela sighed, halted, and dropped her hands to her knees. “I need a rest.” 

Ulik, who had walked a few steps past her, stopped and turned to look at her. “Already?” 

Hela glared. “What do you mean already? We’ve been walking for hours? Do you even know where this settlement is you claim exists?” 

Ulik gave a hurt look back to her, his heavy eyebrows knitting together. “Are you calling me a liar?” 

Hela started to reply, but Loki sighed. “No Ulik, she is just being testy.” 

Hela turned her glare on Loki. “I am not.” 

Loki smiled and motioned toward a large boulder. “Here, let’s all rest. The worst that will happen is that we feel more ready to continue.” 

Hela frowned, but walked over and easily lifted herself up onto the boulder only wincing slightly as her wounds reminded her that they were less than twenty-four hours old. She sighed stretching her legs out and leaning back on her hands. 

Loki hopped up onto the rock next to her while Ulik dropped down to the ground and crossed his legs. He muttered softly. “The thing I hate about traveling, you can never get a hold of a good cup of tea until the tavern or inn you’re staying at has some and then most places have weak tea.” 

Hela smirked. “Trolls drink tea?” 

Ulik looked smug. “There is a lot you don’t know about trolls.” 

Loki chuckled. “Apparently.” 

Hela had opened her mouth to reply when she was interrupted by another voice coming from behind them. 

“I doubt anyone wants to know a lot about trolls.” 

Hela and Loki moved so swiftly that they were on their feet, weapons out before Ulik had time to respond though the great big troll didn’t move. A man came walking slowly from around the large boulder. He was tall, with a bare and broad muscled chest and shoulders wearing a Roman style skirt, with short brown curling hair, a well trimmed beard and mustache, and an arrogant expression on his chiseled features. 

Ulik smiled and waved. “Oh, hey Hercules.”


	5. New Thebes

Hela muttered, wrinkling her nose at the sight of Hercules. “Well shit, I guess we are in some sort of hell.” 

Hercules walked over to Ulik, a large smile on his chiseled features as he put his hand out to the troll. “My friend!! What brings you back our way?” 

Ulik smiled and stood up to take the offered hand. “Herc! Just on my way back to the settlement with a couple of new lost souls.” 

Hercules turned to take in the newcomers and blinked in surprise followed by the narrowing of his eyes. “Hela, the Goddess of Death and Loki, the God of Mischief; Asgardians. Interesting. I have heard many things about the two of you before I came here.” He managed to say their names, titles and planet of origin with just the right level of scorn to convey his displeasure without actually falling into plain being impolite. Hercules followed this statement with a broad smile. “I guess the two of you finally met a monster bigger than yourselves?” Hercules gave a grin and a laugh that Loki supposed was meant to be charming, but as far as he was concerned the smile made the bearded demigod look like a sick boar. 

“Well, let it not be said that the settlement of New Thebes did not open its gates to all.” Hercules laughed again. “You are welcome as long as you do not cause any trouble. If you come in peace, you may go in peace.” Hercules looked pointedly at Hela and Loki before turning his attention back to Ulik. The man and troll began speaking loudly about...Hela wasn’t sure what they were discussing and she didn’t really care. 

Hela glanced at Loki and rolled her eyes. “He named the place New Thebes, after his birthplace, the arrogant twat.” 

Loki snorted on a laugh covering his mouth, continuing to cover the laugh with an ill disguised cough when Hercules glanced over at the two of them. Hela grinned conspiratorially at Loki. Loki stepped closer to her, immediately aware of how good she smelled, the warmth radiating from her body, the way her hair brushed against his cheek when she leaned closer to listen to what he had to say. 

“I’m guessing you have met this little man personally?” Loki asked indicating Hercules with his eyes. 

Hela swallowed when she looked into Loki’s eyes, his gaze startling her for a moment as she realized once more just how devastatingly handsome her adopted brother was. She quickly squashed the strange rush of heat he caused and focused on the question. 

“I met him a handful of times at a couple of gatherings, but I don’t really know him. We were never formally introduced. I think the last time I saw him he was seeing Freya.” She shrugged. “Like everyone else, I suppose I know of his deeds and reputation. He seems a bit of a dunga.” 

Loki again chuckled. “You are wicked.” 

Hela giggled softly, elbowing him gently as she blushed. She felt the blush work its way over her cheeks and along her neck. She felt the urge to pull her helmet into existence and hide her face. What was wrong with her? She was acting like a foolish maiden! But Loki had a way of making her smile and, if she was honest, it was rather nice to feel like a regular woman for once instead of the Goddess of Death, Odin’s first born. It was nice to not be feared, spoken to like a real person, smiled at, laughed with and made to feel that she, Hela, not the goddess, was important. She hadn’t realized how much she craved that sort of attention. No one had made her feel like a person in a very long time, yet here Loki was, treating her like someone, caring for her, listening to her. She found she liked it very much. 

Loki motioned toward Hercules. “I’ve never met him, but Thor had mentioned him a time or two. Thor never really seemed to care for him. Apparently the great oaf likes to wrestle and thinks that striking someone in the face, out of the blue, to start a wrestling match is great fun, even akin to giving a gift. Likes to wrestle with those he considers friends.” Here Loki used air quotes on the word friend before he continued. “Thor called him insufferable, which, considering how my brother has been in the past, is really quite funny. The insufferable being out...suffered out so to speak.” Loki chuckled with a little shake of his head. “The fact that there is anyone in the universe more insufferable than Thor is really quite amazing when you think about it. We are seeing one of the wonders of the universe.” He pointed at Hercules. “A man more irritating than the mighty Thor.” 

Hela chuckled. “Oh, well let’s hope Hercules doesn’t take a liking to either one of us. Though getting a chance to out wrestle him might teach the big oaf a lesson.” 

Loki smiled at her. “Why do I think you would have him down on his face within seconds?” 

Hela grinned at him, a wicked glint in her eye as she gave Loki an over the top wink. Loki nearly choked trying not to laugh at her. 

Hercules turned back toward him, patting Ulik on the shoulder as the two came over to Loki and Hela. 

Hercules grinned giving Hela a very clear--not even trying to be subtle--once over, starting at her feet and stopping at her breasts. 

“You, my lady, are far more beautiful than when last we met.” Hercules grinned broadly at her. 

Hela folded her arms across her chest, taking an imperious pose. “I’m surprised you would remember me at all. The last time I saw you it looked as if you were trying to drink all the wine in Asgard.” 

Hercules chuckled. “Well, Aegir always throws the best parties. Where is that old rogue anyway?” 

Hela smiled and shrugged. “No idea. After my father banished me, I lost track of most people.” 

Hercules nodded. “I did hear of that. That was a shame, but I suppose you brought it on yourself.” 

Hela’s cheeks twitched, her fingers clenched. Loki sensed the coming danger and did the first thing he could think of. 

Loki reached out and put his arm around her waist, pressing her body up against his, effectively stopping her from moving. He wasn’t holding her tightly, his arm around her waist, his hand resting against her ribs, but his grip was firm, his fingers pressing against her. With that touch he communicated his need for her to stay put, to not attack Hercules though the lout was being insulting. Loki smiled while Hercules spoke, keeping Hela pressed against his side. He couldn’t hear anything the Greek was saying, his attention focused solely on the feel of Hela’s body pressed against him, the smooth, soft curve of her hip, the heat penetrating through her clothing against his hand, the scent of her hair when the breeze passed through it. He shivered, but maintained his hold on her. 

Hela reluctantly relaxed, pressing her body against Loki’s while Hercules continued to talk, not once noticing how close he had come to finding a blade in his heroic Greek throat. 

Hercules continued to speak, but Loki had no idea what he was saying. Loki thought the Greek might be discussing the settlement they were going to, or maybe he was discussing the weather; either way Loki wasn’t hearing anything the man said. Loki was having a rather difficult time hearing anything or focusing on the Greek’s words at all. All his attention was occupied by Hela at his side and his arm around her waist. Loki frowned in frustration. He had found women attractive in the past, had even slept with a few of them, but unlike his brother who had what could only be described as a magical portal going both ways in his bedroom for an endless parade of paramores, attraction wasn’t something Loki felt very often. Any of his past relationships had been mild distractions, or power games and nothing more. He was too busy and too smart to let his always sharp mind be befuddled by something so dull as sexual attraction, but at this moment, that was all his mind seemed to be able to focus on--how attractive Hela was, the warmth of her, her curves, her simultaneous softness and strength, her intoxicating scent. And when she turned to look at him, he knew he wanted her like he had wanted nothing before. It was both infuriating, and exciting, but mostly infuriating, he thought. Yes, definitely infuriating. 

Unbeknownst to Loki, Hela was having much the same trouble. She had had relationships in the past, but nearly every one of them involved a power struggle, a means to an end. She had never been involved with anyone unless there was also something to be gained from the relationship. Her attraction to Loki served no purpose, he had nothing that she wanted or needed, but...she swallowed. That wasn’t true. She wanted something from him, but it just wasn’t power, it was something much more basic. What in the nine realms was wrong with her?! She asked herself. This wasn’t her, wasn’t her at all and if he didn’t get his hand off her waist she was going to...what? She didn’t know, but she knew she was frustrated and annoyed. 

Hercules frowned. He had been explaining some of the rules that the small community of New Thebes had set up for visitors when he noticed that neither Asgardian seemed to be listening. “Will that be a problem?” He looked between the two of them in confusion. He was sure the troll had said they were brother and sister, but if he were to hazard a guess just by looking at them now, he would have guessed new lovers, or soon to be lovers rather than siblings. Though the Asgardians were a strange lot, who knew what they got up to on that planet? 

Loki chuckled, his hand on Hela’s waist tightening. “Behave ourselves? Not a problem. We will be the epitome of manners.” 

Hela giggled in response. “We’ll be as good as if we were in Odin’s own hall.” 

Hercules frowned looking between the two of them and muttered. “Be better than that.” He sighed. “All right, well--let us be off.” 

Hercules turned and began walking with Ulik by his side, the two picking up the threads of a conversation they had clearly been having moments ago. 

Loki turned to look at Hela, while she looked at him, his arm still around her waist. 

Loki smiled apologetically. “Sorry I grabbed you.” 

Hela returned his smile. “You still have a hold of me.” 

Loki grimaced and stepped back, releasing his hold on her waist. “My apologies.” 

“It’s fine. It’s good that you did; I probably would have cut his throat,” Hela said softly. “So, thank you.” 

Hela absolutely hated the way she was acting and sounded, but damn it she couldn’t seem to stop herself. She sounded so insipid! 

Loki gave her a soft smile. “Any time.” 

“Ah, it seems we should follow them.” Hela pointed at the retreating backs of Hercules and Ulik. 

Loki nodded. “I suppose we should.” 

They turned to follow, walking side by side, their mutual attraction hanging between them. 

* 

The settlement of New Thebes was much more than a settlement, bordering on being called a village with an actual river that ran beside it. The houses, which were built up along a hillside, were made from the stones that Loki and Hela had been seeing scattered all throughout the landscape. While the homes were crude, looking nothing like the houses of the real Thebes, they were surprisingly sturdy looking with cut out windows, wooden doors, crude pillars and spots of greenery where the inhabitants had tried to encourage the local fauna to grow in boxes and around the houses. Loki noted that some of the garden window boxes held medical plants and a few vegetables. He saw cucumbers, lettuce, garlic and for the first time he saw a few trees, olives, pomegranates and pears. Not much, but clearly enough for this settlement to grow. However, as he had thought before, it was as if this place where they were trapped, provided what was needed when it was needed--food, water...stone that would allow the construction of homes. He frowned as he gathered the puzzle pieces together in his mind to take out and examine at a later time. Hela noted that the residents of this New Thebes were not all Greek. Some were from other realms, other planets, including Asgardians, all living together in this strange sort of utopia. She wasn’t sure how she felt about it. Admiration that these people had somehow made a life for themselves in this strange land and annoyance because putting down roots meant they had given up on finding a way back to the land of the living. 

People either came outside and watched, or peered from the safety of their windows at the two new people as Hercules led them to a set of tiny, empty small houses. 

He stopped in front of the pair of empty homes. “Ulik, you can have the one you stayed in before you left, but I'm afraid you Asgardians are going to have to share.” 

Loki frowned and turned to glare at Hercules. “So that’s it? You throw us into a crude home and we just give up and stay?” 

Hercules frowned and shrugged. “Well, I suppose for the moment if you want to look at it that way, but you are free to leave if you wish. There isn’t much out there beyond us, I’m afraid. We’ve only come across one other settlement, north or us. Other than that, there isn't much out there except monsters and other unsavory things. You would do well to stay, but I won’t stop you. But for now, at least, why don’t you rest? You can meet some of the people and some of our more well known residents tonight at a grand feast I shall hold in your honor there...” Hercules pointed upward. Loki and Hela turned to follow his pointing finger to see what could only be a temple. It looked to be the biggest building in the settlement with tall smooth white pillars and, unlike the other buildings surrounding it that had flat stone roofs, this one looked as if some care had been put into its creation with darker stone tiles making up a pointed roof. 

Hercules grinned. “The temple of Zeus.” 

Hela muttered, “Of course.” 

Under his breath, Loki muttered, “I wish I were an atheist.” 

Hercules grinned. “Well, get settled, I’ll have someone bring you some of our wine and fruit. Until you are formally introduced to everyone this evening though, I would stay here, rest. Some of our residents might be a bit, touchy, and I would not want your presence starting any fights until after your introductions. Except you Ulik, you can go where you please since you have been here before.” 

Ulik grinned. “Is Dunker still here?” 

Hercules nodded. “Yes, he is still in the cave he calls a home down by the river.” 

Ulik grinned. 

“Then fights are allowed? I mean, after introductions?” Loki interrupted with a lifted brow. 

Hercules smiled. “Good old fashion competition is allowed in the temples. We look down on petty street brawls here though.” 

Hercules clapped his hands. “Well, someone will be by to escort you to the temple after the light goes down.” 

With that Hercules turned and was quickly swallowed by a group of people asking questions and shooting glares or curious stares at Hela and Loki. 

Ulik smiled. “I’m going to go see Dunker. You two go get cozy, though you will enjoy the feast. Herc does know how to throw a party.” Ulik grinned and hurried off. 

Hela snarled. “A party?” 

Loki took her hand and headed toward the doorway of their temporary home. “Come along, let’s go inside.” 

Loki practically had to drag a very annoyed Hela inside, closing the door behind them. 

* 

The inside of the small home was actually quite cozy Loki thought as he looked around. The stone floor had been covered by a rough spun rug of some unknown fiber. The windows had wooden shutters that closed from the inside. There was a stone table, on which sat a bowl of olives and pears, along with a pitcher of water. There was one bed with a slightly raised end instead of a pillow in the Greek style. There was a mattress of sorts on the bed, again made from unknown fibers and, as Loki pressed his fingers down on it, stuffed with something that smelled slightly of lavender and felt spongy in a way that unspun cotton felt like. 

Loki shrugged. “Could be worse. I’ve stayed in worse.” 

Hela threw herself down onto the bed, placed her hands behind her head, and crossed her ankles as she laid down and glared a hole into the ceiling. “I don’t like this.” 

Loki came over and sat down beside her. “Don’t like this…?” He gave her a look, encouraging her to speak more. 

She wrinkled her nose. “A settlement, in a place like this? It’s as if these people don’t care why they are here or trying to find a way out. They’ve given up.” 

Loki shrugged. “Some people are easily contented.” 

“I suppose,” Hela mumbled. 

Loki shifted and laid down beside her on the small bed, one hand resting against his chest. He wasn’t sure what he was doing, or why he was doing it, but he let his gut guide him as he laid down. 

Hela glanced sideways at him but didn’t protest his reclining beside her. Instead of protesting, she moved a little closer to him. 

Loki tensed for just a moment then did something strange, he held his arm up but he didn’t look at her. He wasn’t sure why he was doing this and he was afraid if he looked at her she might decide to claw his eyes out for being so...weird, but he held his arm up and waited. 

Hela recognized the invitation but wasn’t quite sure what to do. It was innocent enough, the bed was small and lying perfectly side by side wasn’t exactly comfortable for either of them. She could shove him off onto the floor, but she found that she didn’t really want to do that. She pressed her lips together in annoyance, but she moved closer, ducking in under his arm to lay her head against his chest without saying a word. 

Loki slowly brought his arm down, like he was dealing with a skittish and dangerous animal until he carefully placed his hand on her shoulder. 

Hela eased her arm around his waist, shifting her leg slightly to lay across his thigh, making their sharing of the bed more comfortable. She was warm against his body, and the urge to kiss him was so strong that she bit down on her bottom lip, but the flash of pain did nothing to cool the feeling of want. 

Loki laid his other hand against her arm, his thumb moved very slowly in a gentle stroking gesture across the back of her hand. 

Neither of them made a comment about what they were doing, as if they were both afraid to say something, as if ignoring what they were doing would make it all right. 

Loki’s entire body was on fire. He had no idea why he had laid down and offered to hold her. It was as if his body was moving independently of his brain. And when Hela curled against him, his groin tightened in a way that made him hold his breath so as not to make a sound. He took several slow breaths through his nose until he was sure he could speak without making it sound like a moan. 

He said softly. “Perhaps a break is what we need, a chance to look at our situation from a different angle, with fresh eyes…” 

Hela smiled against his chest, her eyes closed. “You might be right little brother.” 

Loki had closed his eyes, but the smirk on his face was soft. “Don’t call me that.” 

He felt Hela’s body shake against him as she suppressed a giggle. He had just stroked her arm down from her shoulder and along her waist when there was a knock at the wooden door. The door then opened slowly and both of them turned their gazes toward the door. 

A woman stepped in, a beautiful woman with long blonde hair, dressed in bright green, a sleeveless top that molded to her figure, trimmed with little green tassels that made up her skirt and a gold belt. She wore a type of legging or boot that was black with a gold circle pattern running down the front of her thighs. The gold was also part of her arm bands that ran up from her wrists to her elbows. She was carrying a tray as she entered the small home. 

“Hercules said we had visitors and I thought you might like some wine instead of just water.” 

Loki and Hela both sat up quickly, like children caught doing something they shouldn’t be, turning to face the strange woman. Loki nearly fell off the bed getting to his feet while Hela rose up on her knees. 

The blonde woman stopped and stared, her blue eyes focused on Loki. 

Her voice came out in a whisper. “Loki?” 

Loki’s eyes widened in horror, his voice a gasp. “Amora?” 

Hela frowned, her eyes narrowing as she looked between the two of them with annoyance. “What?” 

“LOKI!!” Amora dropped the tray and the pitcher of wine crashed to the floor, the wine immediately seeping into the rug and staining it a bright red. The woman rushed across the room and threw herself at Loki. Loki made a sound like a yelp as the blonde crashed into him, his arms out to the side as he tried to avoid touching her. 

“Amora?” 

Hela hissed. “Amora?”


	6. Enticement

Amora held Loki close against her, covering his face in kisses while Loki had the wide-eyed look of a man caught in a trap, had no idea how he had fallen into it, or how to begin to get out of it. Hela, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes, her upper lip curling slightly. She glared at Loki noticing that the color had drained from his face and that his eyes were wide enough that the white nearly drowned out the blue. Well at least he had the good sense to look sick, she thought, but that thought was immediately twisted up with another, a more insidious thought, that of course he had someone, someone prettier, nicer, and more...She didn’t really know more of what, but...Hela would never voice it aloud, nor would she ever admit that there was a part of her that wasn’t the self-assured goddess of death. That part of her that was simply a woman who had been hurt many times, who had let that door open just a crack only to have Amora slam it shut. For a moment Hela was overwhelmed with a feeling that was much more than jealousy--which she was perfectly capable of having and had had that feeling in the past many times--but a feeling of fear that maybe she had begun to allow herself to feel something more than simply attraction to her little brother (if that term really applied), something more than sexual arousal, something more...she shook away the thought before she let it grow further. 

She pushed her feelings of inadequacy down, crossed her arms over her chest and cocked her hip. A good defense was to always look like you didn’t give a damn, she thought to herself as she looked on with a scowl. 

“Oh Loki!!! I’ve been so alone here and scared, but now you’re here! You came to rescue me! I just knew you would!” Amora punctuated her words with more kisses. 

Loki tried to put his hands between them and push her off, but Amora’s embrace was making the escape attempt rather difficult to effect. “Amora, ah, hello...ah...what are you doing here? I thought you were with Skurge on a honeymoon or something.” 

He made a face and pushed against her, trying to get the blonde to detach herself from around him, but she was a great deal stronger than he realized (she was Asgardian, after all, not some mere Midgardian), and as she stuck to him, her arms actually began to choke off his air. 

“Oh Skurge, that big oaf.” Amora giggled, hugging Loki tighter yet as she spoke barely taking a breath between her words. “We broke up ages ago. He went back to Asgard.” 

Hela spoke up. “Well, that’s true, Skurge was a bit of an oaf. I wonder what happened to him after you and your friends shows up in Asgard?” She looked to Loki who wrinkled his nose in annoyance at her while at the same time pleading with her with his eyes to save him. Hela smirked, but made no move to help him. 

Amora continued to speak as if no one had spoken. (Hela narrowed her eyes to virtual slits. She already hated the little blonde Asgardian, but the fact that this woman was ignoring her was making Hela hate her that much more.) “And I went to Earth where I had this little scheme that well...fell apart. Thanks to Herc, of course, but all is forgiven! Anyway, I got mixed up with a very interesting human named Dr. Doom, but then that fell apart too, and I decided I simply needed a big strong man at my side…” (Here Hela muttered loudly. “Oh, of course a big strong man to protect you.” Hela put so much sarcasm into her words that Loki had to swallow down a snort of laughter.) 

Amora finally shot Hela a glare, but continued as if Hela hadn’t said a word. “I heard of this human they called the Hulk and I just had to have to him, but then there was something going on with a robot or something. So I left Earth and headed to As…” 

Hela sighed dramatically. “I think what Loki was asking was how you died and end up here. Believe me, I would very much like to hear about your death too.” She gave Amora a flat yet wicked smile. “So tell us, who killed you so that I can find them and thank them from the bottom of my heart.” 

Amora finally released Loki (who quickly moved out of arm's reach to stand beside Hela), dropping her hands to her hips and gave Hela a once over, her eyes moving up and down Hela slowly, making a clear show of her examining her. From the look on Amora’s face, she clearly found Hela lacking. 

“And just who in the Nine Realms do you think you are? And why are you here with my Loki? What is with that death warmed over look? And…” Amora smirked. “Who killed you, I would so much like to give them a kiss.” 

Hela’s lip twitched (which Loki found to be incredibly sexy). She took a step forward, her hands on her waist as she said low and menacingly. “I am Hela, the Goddess of Death. And what pray tell are you the goddess of? Oh that’s right, you are not the goddess of anything, unless it’s the goddess of useless women.” 

The expression of Amora’s face went from haughty, to shock, then quickly back to haughty. Loki’s lips curved into his own smirk. It was a quite an adventure watching Amora’s expressions until she finally settled on her default, which Loki fondly thought of as Amora’s bitch-face, a term he had picked up on Earth. 

The blonde sorceress frowned. She had never heard of Hela; as far as she knew the Asgardians didn’t have a goddess of death. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Clearly this woman was trying to pull some sort of trick. “Well, here it doesn’t matter what you are the goddess of, especially when you are claiming to be some unknown death goddess. No one has their full powers and we are all stuck here.” She turned her expression to Loki. “Unless my dear Loki has a plan of escape?” 

Loki put his hands up. “I am just as much trapped here as the rest of you. Thanos saw to that.” 

Amora frowned in confusion. “Thanos?” 

Loki sighed. “It’s a long story…” 

Amora frowned doing her best to look pretty, batting her eyelashes at Loki. “So you are not here to rescue me?” 

Loki shook his head. “No I am not.” 

Amora sighed, but then quickly brightened. “Well, at least we are here together. I have to say the choices of men here are rather...dull. No one nearly as exciting as you, my dear Loki. If you would like, I am sure Hercules wouldn’t mind at all if you moved into my little cottage. It is quite cozy, the bed is bigger and I have quite a lot of wine,” she purred stepping closer. 

Loki took an automatic step backwards. “Ah…” He couldn’t quite form a proper response, but Hela stepped in front of him. “He is perfectly comfortable here.” 

Amora wrinkled her nose at Hela. “Surely he would rather be with more pleasant company.” The blonde’s lip curled with disdain as she gave the dark-haired goddess another once over. “More, feminine company. Wouldn’t you Loki?” 

Amora once more batted her lashes as Loki, at the same time cocking her hip and using her arms to press her breasts together. 

Loki paled further. 

Hela’s eyes widened just a fraction. She was not accustomed to fighting like this, it was all so...pedestrian. She did not fight over men--though she had never had to--and she certainly didn’t fight with someone like Amora who relied so much on her femininity to make men do what she wanted. Hela was not a seductress, she had never seen any reason to be one, and she certainly didn’t like women who used their sex to control people instead of their own power. But it got under her skin that Amora thought that Loki would simply fall all over himself to be with her and it angered her that she worried that Loki would fall all over himself to be with Amora. She glanced at Loki, her stomach twisting into knots as the very real feelings of inadequacy that roiled to the surface only to see that he was giving her a pleading look to save him. Hela looked confused for a moment. She wasn’t sure what to do, so she hid behind her anger, her power. It had worked in the past--usually. 

Hela turned her glare on Amora. “I think Loki is just fine here with me.” 

Amora snorted. “I doubt that. Why stay here with a cold death goddess when he could be in bed with a warm woman who would know exactly how to keep him happy. Right Loki?” 

Amora turned her seductive gaze on Loki. 

Loki looked terrified. 

Hela’s heart was beating fast and hard enough, she was surprised no one could hear it; the way her heart slammed against her breastbone, she was certain it was audible. She wasn’t sure what to do, which was not a feeling she was familiar with, so she simply let her instinct guide her. She stepped closer to Loki, reaching out to run her hands along his throat gliding him closer to her, her fingers spread wide, her thumbs stroked his cheeks as she held his face. Loki looked back at her, his expression dumbfounded. She looked into his blue eyes searching for something, she wasn’t sure what she hoped to find in his gaze, but she looked for something all the same. 

Loki stared back into her eyes. He wasn’t sure what he had been expecting, hoping for, needing, but he was shocked into silence when Hela cupped his face in her hands and looked into his eyes. Her own blue gaze looked vulnerable, she was laying herself bare to him, he could see it in her eyes that she was scared, that she needed something from him. Her eyes moved from his eyes to his mouth and back to his eyes. He didn’t know what to do while his heart pounded heavily and he saw Hela looked so unsure of herself, so exposed. All he wanted to do was tell her it was all right, to hold her against him, to protect her. All of them were feelings he wasn’t use to having, being concerned about someone else’s feelings, of wanting to protect someone, which was mixed with a very real heat of lust that he felt for her. (This was all terribly, uncharacteristically, un-Loki like, he realized.) His own turmoil roiled through him, confusing him, but then she leaned in and kissed him chasing all his doubts and confusing thoughts away to be replaced by the feel of her lips against his. 

Loki’s eyes widened in surprise, his eyebrows climbing up his forehead, his eyes nearly perfectly round. In the back of his mind he knew if his brother were here Thor would have laughed at him, teasing him about never having been kissed, but Thor wasn’t here and the kiss was truly a shock. Hela opened her mouth against his. Her lips were warm and soft, like silk against his own. Her tongue followed, sliding gently against his lips. The erotic feel of her tongue, warm and wet, sent shivers racing down his body like nothing he had ever felt before. He reached out and laid his hands on her hips, gently tugging her closer to him, at the same time he opened his mouth against hers, his tongue sliding into the welcome warmth of her mouth. 

Hela made a sound of need, moving her mouth over his, her tongue sliding, caressing his in a slow, sensual dance that had heat exploding through her like she had never felt before. This was more than a kiss--this was a connection like she had never felt before. She pressed her body up against his, her figure hitting against his lean form, her pelvis pressed against his like she was always meant to be there, her body flush against him. She leaned into the kiss, giving herself over to the sensations that were pulsing through her. She dropped her hands from his face to wrap her arms around him, holding him tight against her. 

Loki wrapped an arm around her while reaching up with his other hand to cup the back of her head, his fingers threading through her dark hair, deepening the kiss. He tilted her back slightly, his mouth moving over hers, and a low groan followed. He never wanted to stop kissing her. He wanted to run his hands over her body, to feel her flesh against his; his grip on her tightened. 

Amora’s eyes bugged from her sockets. They were not just kissing, they were practically mauling one another!! What on earth was wrong with Loki? He had to be under a spell! He had to be! She wasn’t sure how Hela was doing it, considering no one’s powers other than physical ability seemed to function here, but clearly a spell would be the only explanation for this...this...disgusting demonstration! Amora practically stomped her foot, and was about to walk over to them to break them up when a head popped in through the doorway. 

“Hey Amora! You in here? Herc said you were bringing wine to…” The man’s eyes widened when he saw Loki and Hela followed by a chuckle as he stepped inside, stepped over next to the clearly agitated Amora. 

He chuckled again watching Loki and Hela kissing. “Whoa, that is some kiss. Think we should step out and come back in a couple of minutes? Mimir can wait, because I don’t think those two can.” 

Amora growled, ripping her annoyed gaze away from Loki to glare at the man beside her. “Gilgamesh, what are you doing here?” 

He smiled down at her. The man was tall, maybe slightly taller even than Hercules. His hair was a mop of dark brown, curling around his ears and the back of his neck, his eyes a nearly perfect match to the color of his hair. He wore a simple black bodysuit that covered him from his neck to his feet with long sleeves, and matching boots, though otherwise his appearance was unremarkable. 

Gilgamesh grinned. “Mimir sent me to fetch our newest guests, but they look busy.” 

Amora stuck her bottom lip out. “Gilgamesh, make them stop.” 

Gilgamesh chuckled. “Why? Was he someone you were after and you lost? Oh boohoo poor Amora.” 

Amora narrowed her eyes at him. “I never liked you.” 

Gilgamesh grinned at her. “Feeling’s mutual.” 

* 

Loki was dimly aware that someone else had entered the room, but his mind was too clouded with Hela, the taste of her lips, the feel of her body against his, the scent of her overwhelming everything else, the way his hands felt holding her. He had never felt so alive, he had never wanted anything as much as he wanted her in this moment, to feel her against him, to bury himself in her, surround himself with her. 

Hela ran a hand over his chest, feeling the muscles under his suit, her other hand moved along his shoulder, reaching up to caress the back of his neck. She moaned, pressing her hips against him, feeling a tightening bulge against her in response. She pressed her nose against his, her tongue tracing his lips. The room had fallen away until she was only aware of him. A small part of her brain was telling her that this wasn’t like her, she wasn’t this passionate, never unless it was in battle, but something about kissing Loki made her feel...alive. She had no other words to fit. She wanted more. Her fingers tightened her hold on him. 

He groaned softly with want. She was just so...everything...she was everything. He dragged his teeth along her tongue, catching her bottom lip before he pulled away to look into her eyes. 

Hela looked just as startled as he felt, staring back at him, her eyes heavy with lust, need, just like his own. 

They were both suspended, the world washed away, the room containing only the two of them. He flexed his fingers in her hair, against her back. Hela held onto him, her expression vulnerable, soft... 

The moment shattered as someone cleared their throat loudly followed by. “Hello?! You two done?” 

Hela tried not to step back from Loki too suddenly. She didn’t want Amora to realize how shaken she was by the kiss. 

Loki did the same, dropping his hands, but doing his best to keep his sardonic, aloof expression on his face while at the same time the heat of Hela’s kiss burned his in belly and chest and brain. They both turned, standing side by side looking like two teenagers caught in the middle of making out by their parents, to see the man who had interrupted them. The man grinned and waved. 

“Hello, I’m Gilgamesh, just one of the many dead stuck in this strange place. Anywho--Mimir says he knows you both and wanted me to bring you to him.” 

Hela blinked in surprise, the spell of the kiss fading. “Who?” 

Loki frowned in confusion. “Mimir is here?” 

Gilgamesh grinned. “If you’ll both follow me. You coming Amora?” 

Amora looked annoyed, not sure what she wanted to do. Hela grinned at her and laced her arm through Loki’s. Loki glanced sideways at Hela, a smile tugging at his lips, but then Amora moved to take his other arm, sneering at Hela. 

Gilgamesh chuckled again. “Oh, this is going to be fun. Okay, come on.” 

* 

Gilgamesh led them through the settlement. It was quieter now, though a few people still came to gawk at the newest strangers. Gilgamesh guided them though into the deep center of the settlement until they came to what looked like the entrance to a cave that was hidden between two homes. The entrance was small, forcing them to enter one at a time. 

Loki released Hela’s arm motioning with his head toward the entrance where Gilgamesh slipped into. “Ladies first.” 

Hela smiled at him. “Why thank you little brother.” 

Loki smiled and shook his head, but said nothing as she headed inside. Loki smirked, his eyes grazing over Hela’s firm backside. 

Amora frowned her nose wrinkled. “Little brother?” 

Loki grinned at her. “She is technically my elder sister.” 

“WHAT?!” Amora released his arms in shock. “She’s what?” 

Loki grinned at her and headed inside without another word. 

Amora narrowed her eyes at the entrance and muttered, “That liar,” before she headed in after him. 

* 

While the entrance to the cave was quite small, the cave itself was surprisingly large. The inside of the cave’s walls were worn to a smooth, shiny surface making them look almost like dark glass. The cave also contained rows of pillars, all carved from the stone itself into intricate designs depicting figures telling a story. It was hard to decipher what was being communicated by the carvings as the candles that were on every surface in the cave flickered creating shadows everywhere. In the center of the cave was a large pool of a glass green water. The flickering flames of the several hundred candles made the water look as if it were dancing, though Loki was sure that the surface of the water did not move. 

Set just behind the water was a platform of what may have been white marble or some other white stone and on the stone was a large throne. The back of the throne was tall and narrow, carved with the image of a wolf’s head that brushed the ceiling of the cave. The large arms of the throne ended with the same style of carved wolf heads, all with opened mouths baring their many fanged teeth. The rest of the throne was covered in three things: intricate knotwork that ran over the entirety of the throne; the thick heavy branches of a tree that grew up from the cave floor and wrapped around the throne, pinning a bald man with short horns on his upper forehead who looked around the same age as Odin, to the stone throne. The tree’s growth wrapped around him, binding his legs, his arms and torso to the throne. The only part of himself that the man could move was his head. 

Gilgamesh led them around to stand in the very front of the throne. 

Loki’s voice came out in a gasp. “Mimir?” 

The man on the throne turned his head toward the voice and smiled. “Loki, son of Odin, rightful heir to Jotunheim, God of Mischief.” The man’s eyes turned to Hela. “Ah, yes, and Hela, first born of Odin, rightful heir to the throne of Asgard and the Goddess of Death. Welcome to my little abode.” 

Gilgamesh grinned. “So there ya go old man, brought them right to you. You need anything else?” 

Mimir smiled. “Thank you Gilgamesh and yes, could you bring me some of that sage and raspberry tea of yours?” 

Gilgamesh nodded. “Sure thing Mimir. Be right back. Anyone else want any?” 

Loki and Hela shared a look shrugging and Gilgamesh smiled. “I’ll bring enough for everyone, oh and some of those spice cookies that Beth made. Be right back.” He waved and made his way out of the cave. 

Mimir grinned at Loki and Hela before his eyes landed on Amora. “What on earth are you doing in here, you witch?!” 

Amora pouted squeezing Loki’s arm as if Loki would defend her honor. “Oh now Mimir, really? Name calling?” 

Mimir glared at her. “Get your skinny ass out of here.” 

“Oh, but Mim…” Amora started. 

Mimir snarled. “Get you gone yeah she-beast!” 

Amora gasped. “Why you!” 

Loki laughed. “Amora, perhaps you should go before he finds some other names for you.” 

Hela snickered. “She-beast.” 

Amora wrinkled her nose glaring. “Fine, but I will see you later Loki--we are not done talking.” She shot a nasty glare at Hela before she stomped out. 

Hela snickered while Mimir muttered. “That one is nothing but trouble. Do you believe she tried to seduce me, thinking I could get her out of here? I don’t know what she thought I was going to do stuck in this chair.” He shook his head. “And even if I had that particular knowledge I wouldn’t have given it to her anyhow.” He rolled his eyes. “That woman is a menace.” 

Loki frowned and stepped closer to the throne-bound man. “I had heard about you when I sat on Hlidskjalf about how you and Odin had been friends, but then you betrayed father and he cursed you. Is this where you ended up?” 

Mimir shrugged, or attempted to though the branches made it difficult for him to move. “We fought, but not because I betrayed him. I was the one who drank from the Well of Knowledge with Heimdall's horn, Gjallarhorn--on accident I might add. I had a little too much to drink the night before then fell asleep.” Mimir chuckled. “And a certain nymph had me a little confused.” He shook his head. “Anyway, I drank from it before Odin could. He grew angry because the well could only be drunk from once, and he thought I had done it on purpose, so he cursed me. I suppose that’s how I ended up here. All I remember was your father yelling some curse and the next thing I know I’m here, like this, with a ton of fucking knowledge and nowhere to go.” Mimir grinned. “But that is why I asked you both here. I know about Thanos, I know what he did and I know about the deal he made with Cul Berson and Set.” 

Hela frowned looking between Loki and Mimir. “What are you talking about, Uncle Cul? What does he have to do with Thanos? And Set? Isn’t Set an Elder God?” 

It was Loki’s turn to look confused. “Who is Uncle Cul? And what is Set?” 

Mimir chuckled. “Well I see we have a great deal to discuss, but first, before we do, I have a proposition.” 

Loki narrowed his eyes, glancing at Hela. “A proposition?” 

Mimir grinned at the two of them. “How would you feel about cutting off my head?”


	7. Too Much Wine

“WHAT?” Loki exclaimed. 

Hela frowned, looking contemplative as she cocked a hip to the side when she spoke up. (Loki was momentarily distracted by her stance. She certainly had a way of...standing, that was both provocative and communicated an air of majesty that he admired.). “I am going to guess that cutting off your head wouldn’t necessarily kill you?” Hela motioned cutting off a head by slashing her finger across her neck. 

Loki turned to look fully from Mimir to Hela. “Is that true? That cutting off his head won’t kill him?” 

Hela shrugged. “There have been plenty of stories through the ages of talking heads, heads that the wearer carries with them who dispense knowledge. There’s Brân the Blessed in Irish mythology, there is the occasional decapitated priest in Earth mythology, and even a story on the planet Dakkam that has a talking head in it; so it is not that uncommon.” 

Mimir grinned. “That’s exactly right my child.” 

Hela narrowed her eyes. “I am no one’s child.” Her voice dropped an octave, but Loki, standing close to her, heard the pain in her words. “At least not any longer.” She spoke up again. “...and of course I am correct. I am a death goddess, so I know a great deal about dead and undead things.” 

Loki shook his head as if he were trying to clear it and looked back at Mimir. “All right, so why would we want to carry your head around?” 

Mimir sighed. “Well first off, I’m tired of being trapped on this throne in a cave. Your father…” He looked at both of them. “...is dead and I am still trapped on this bloody throne. At this point I would be happy to be free of my body just to be free of this bloody chair!” 

Hela frowned in thought. “So why should we help you? What is in it for us?” 

Mimir frowned. “Having an all-knowing head isn’t enough?” 

Hela smirked at the imprisoned man. “I suppose it depends. Do you know the way out of this place?” She motioned with her hands to indicate the entirety of the place where they were trapped. 

Mimir made a sour face. “No, no I don’t, at least not precisely. If I did do you think all these people would still be here, settling down, having families?” 

Hela shrugged. “Maybe…” 

Mimir continued. “I do, however, know there is a way to get out, though it won’t be easy.” 

So much for all-knowing, Loki thought, then muttered. “Of course not. Gods forbid anything ever be easy, like a simple doorway or portal, exist here!” 

Hela glanced over at Loki with an amused smile before she turned her attention back to Mimir. She narrowed her eyes. “A way? What way?” 

Mimir nodded sagely. “I wasn’t born yesterday, you know. I’m not going to give all my knowledge away for free. But I will tell you this much: the way out begins with a quest, a quest that will require much from you.” 

Hela hissed. “Of course it will.” 

Loki chuckled at Hela. Her cheeks reddened slightly as she smiled at him. Mimir looked impatiently between the two of them before he continued. “I will also tell you the first step of the quest will require you to face a dragon. Once you have faced the dragon and collected a vial of its blood and one of its eyes, only then will I tell you the second part.” 

Hela started to open her mouth to reply when Mimir spoke over her. “And before you ask where the dragon is, I ain’t telling you.” He grinned slowly. “At least not before you free my head.” 

Loki frowned. “There’s a dragon?” 

Mimir grinned. “Yep.” 

“Why, for all that is holy, is there a damn dragon here?” Loki threw his hands up. 

Mimir grinned. “I have no idea!! Clearly my knowledge of this place is sketchy at best.” 

“Then how in all the nine realms do you know about the dragon and how to get out?” Loki asked with exasperation. 

Mimir grinned again. “No idea.” 

Loki made a sour face. “I say we leave him here and try to find out own way out. I think he is just saying random nonsense to get us to help him commit suicide.” 

Mimir looked offended. “I am not!” 

Hela glanced sideways at Loki. “Well, perhaps...but going on a quest to find our way out is not beyond the realm of possibility or believability. That is usually how these things work. A place liked this, where the dead from all over...or almost dead...whatever we are, become stranded without our powers where we must prove ourselves by taking on a quest to escape? There are many, many stories along those lines, little brother. A quest would make sense.” 

Loki again made a sour face. He didn’t like the idea that something more powerful than him was trying to make him go on a quest, and for what? To prove what? Since he knew there was no answer to these questions, at least not right now, he turned his attention back to Mimir. “Are you sure you are going to live once we slice you free?” 

Mimir shrugged. “Well, no but at this point I’m willing to try anything.” 

Hela put her arm to the side, a necroblade appearing in her hand. “Well, let’s find out…” 

She began to step forward, but Loki stepped in front of her. “Wait! You know if you’re right, cutting his head off is...it's like the first step in accepting this quest you are so sure we have to go on.. Are you sure you want to do that?” 

Hela smiled at him. “Do you want to stay here, wherever here is?” 

Loki frowned and shook his head. “No, I want to stop Thanos. I…” He hesitated before he continued. “I want to save Thor...the universe.” He closed his eyes. “I never wanted to be part of any of this. I simply wanted father to recognize me as more than a frost giant that he saved on a whim or for political reasons. I wanted him to see me as worthy of being his son. I wanted Thor to see me, not as his little brother, but as his equal. I wanted respect, I wanted to not live my entire life in Thor’s over inflated shadow.” His voice dropped. “I wanted to be Asgardian…I wanted to show I could rule.” 

Hela reached out with her free hand to lay it against Loki’s cheek. “I never wanted to be a weapon. I didn’t want to be thrown aside, forgotten.” She stroked his cheek with her thumb. “If we don’t take on this quest, then we are lost. Thanos wins, the universe, which has been conspiring against us our entire lives, wins. I don’t know about you little brother, but I do not want the universe to win.” 

Loki stared at her, then smiled stepping out of her way with a little bow. “I would never want the universe to win.” 

Hela smiled and stepped up onto Mimir’s throne and with a swift swipe, she easily cut through the trapped man’s neck. His head flew up into the air, smashing against the roof of the cave. Mimir yelped, falling, “NOT IN THE WATER! NOT IN THE WATER!” 

Loki ran forward and easily caught the strangely bloodless head. He spun Mimir around until he was facing him. 

Mimir grinned. “Tada!” 

Loki made a face, wrinkling his nose. “Tada indeed.” 

* 

By the time the celebration at the Temple of Zeus had started just after sunset, everyone had heard about Hela removing Mimir’s head. Of course Hela and Loki’s trip through the market looking for a wicker bird cage or basket to carry Mimir in had drawn a great deal of attention, especially when Mimir decided to be quite vocal about his preference in traveling accommodations. (Hela had said since she had removed the head, she would carry Mimir. Loki didn’t argue with her on that point; he wasn’t exactly jumping up and down at the chance to carry a head on his person.) They had finally settled on a thick leather belt to hold a bird cage that made putting Mimir’s head in and pulling it out easy. They had also learned during their tour of the market that afternoon, Mimir refused to tell them anything more about their quest until they were at this ridiculous party that Hercules was throwing. When asked why, the head refused to say, only that he would tell them later, during the recitation of the storytelling portion of the night’s entertainment. 

When they had arrived back at the room, they had also found that clean clothing had been left for them along with pitchers of water, clay bowls, and soap so that they could refresh themselves. Combs for their hair had also been included with the water and soap (There was a bathhouse available, but time would not permit a visit before the party). 

Hela had smirked when she saw the toiletries. “I guess we have to look presentable for the party.” 

Loki frown holding up the shirt of his outfit. “It’s a little blousy for my taste.” 

Hela held up her own with raised eyebrows. “And the material is a bit...thin.” 

They both shared dubious looks with one another over their new clothing. 

For Loki, every item of clothing was black. The black boots, that came up to his knees, seemed to be made from leather, or at least leather like material. The black pants would fit snug against his leg while the last piece was a loose black shirt that left much of his chest exposed. He complained about the attire with a muttered, “This is stupid.” 

Hela shrugged. “Well at least it isn’t some of those curtains the Greeks like to pretend are clothing.” 

Loki chuckled. “Yes, there is that.” 

Being able to change from the outfit he had died in was nice and getting to wash off some of the grime from traveling was equally as nice. He had cleaned and changed with his back to Hela (as she had her back to him and Mimir was stuck facing a corner), but the urge to glance over his shoulder, catching a sight of pale, creamy skin had been too much to resist. He had caught sight of her bare back, all the way to the small of her back the flare of her hips just as she bent over to roll her outfit down her legs...before he swiftly turned away. 

For her outfit, Hela had been left a sleeveless black dress that fit snugly against her figure, the front of which dipped very low, exposing a great deal of her cleavage. This area of the dress was highlighted with a dark green cloth that draped across her breasts. She was also given boots of the same shade of green as the cloth across her breasts. The boots reached just above her knees, the dress had two large slits that ran up to her waist exposing the long length of her legs and the smooth skin of her hips. The dress was far racier than anything Hela had worn in a very long time. (She too had chance a look at Loki while they bathed and changed, catching him slightly turned, her eyes traveling down the side of his bare hip and stomach...she shivered and had quickly turned away.) 

Now they were both dressed except for adding Mimir to Hela’s waist. Loki was crouched down next to Hela, working to secure the cage--that contained Mimir’s head--to Hela’s waist. He was having a difficult time for two reason: one was that Mimir would not stop talking, and two, Hela. Touching her so...intimately, his hands on her waist, touching her backside (they had decided that the best was to carry the head would be to have Mimir’s cage against her rear), being crouched so close to her, her dress falling away to reveal her leg, her bare hip--and after that kiss earlier--his mind would not stop wandering. Dwelling on the kiss, on the feel of her lips, her body pressed against his and now, how shapely her backside was, the smoothness of her exposed skin, the way the dress draped across her breasts...Loki wrinkled his nose while he looped the cord that would attach Mimir to Hela’s waist. He felt irritation with himself for letting his lust distract him. He had never felt so much desire in his entire life. That wasn’t to say he didn’t feel want, need like any other man, but before now controlling that part of himself had always been easy. But Hela was making it damn difficult. Every move she made had him wanting her, the scent of her sent his mind chasing down roads that led to wondering what she looked like naked. which was quickly followed by the image of her bare back, the way the cloth gathered at her hips. He shook his head and muttered under his breath. “Jævlig Helvete…” 

Hela looked down and behind her with a smile. “Everything all right little brother?” 

Loki looked up and grinned. “Just fine elder sister.” 

Hela made a face, a slight furrowing of her brows when he called her elder sister. Especially the elder part. Loki grinned, thinking to himself that it wasn’t as funny to call him little brother when he called her elder sister right back, was it? He was going to remember to use that every chance he got now. Two could play at that game he thought with a sneer. 

Mimir smirked and whispered. “You have it bad, boy.” 

Loki looped the ties through the bars of the small bird cage. “I have what bad?” he asked with a hiss while he worked, only glancing at the severed head once before his focus was back on securing Mimir to the belt. 

Mimir glanced up toward Hela who was running her fingers through her hair trying not to fidget while Loki worked. 

“You have it bad for this lovely example of womanhood.” Mimir grinned. “I haven’t seen a backside this nice in a long time and I get to ride against it.” Mimir wagged his eyebrows lustily. 

Loki narrowed his gaze and hissed. “You’re lucky you’re only a head or I would…” 

Mimir grinned interrupting him. “I can do a lot with my mouth. I was told once I had a golden tongue.” 

Loki growled. “You know, you can still communicate without your eyes or your nose.” 

Mimir grimaced. “Sorry. I’m old and I’ve been trapped on that throne for a long time. Even with just a head, I too can appreciate all the womanly assets of the Goddess of Death, being just a head doesn’t slake the lust boy. But seriously boy, it’s quite transparent that you have feelings for this woman.” 

“I don’t have feelings,” Loki muttered. “And call me ‘boy’ again, I’m going to shove a rock inside your mouth.” 

Mimir frowned. “All right, it’s clear you’re lusting after her. So, is she really your sister? Not that I’m judging mind you…” 

Loki sighed. “You already know the answer, or did you forget your suppose to have all this knowledge?” 

Mimir laughed. “She doesn’t have to be related to you to be your sister.” 

Loki frowned before he answered. “Yes and no. She is my sister in that she is the blood of my brother, but no, we were not raised together. She just calls me little brother to get under my skin.” 

Mimir grinned. “Ah, women, they do so love to pick at the men they want.” 

Loki frowned. “Want?” 

Mimir laughed again. 

Hela hissed loudly. “You know I can hear you two muttering like a couple of old women.” 

Loki stood after tying off the leather cords his cheeks red. “There, he should stay.” 

Hela turned quickly, one way, then the other, causing Mimir to bounce against her backside. Mimir yelled. “Hey!!!” 

Hela chuckled. “Thank you little brother, I think Mimir is secured quite nicely.” 

Loki smiled and bowed with a sarcastic reply. “I live to serve elder sister.” 

Hela gave him a look over her shoulder. “Do you now?” 

Loki felt a flush of heat wash over him. 

Hela suddenly felt her own flush of heat as she stared at Loki. He brushed his hair from his face in a gesture that had her finger itching to feel his hair between them. His shirt hung down exposing his chest--which was quite nicely muscled she noticed--her fingers continuing to itch with the desire to run her fingers over said chest. She quickly turned away, annoyed with herself. “Well, I suppose we should be going before someone comes…” she muttered. 

That was the moment that there was a knock on their door followed by Amora sticking her head in. “Are you ready Loki? I came to escort you to the party.” 

She stepped the rest of the way into their room. 

Hela groaned. “Does no one believe in knocking here or are all of you heathens?” 

Amora tossed her long blonde hair over her shoulder with an expression of disgust twisting her features. Her hair was held back by twin braids at her temple while the rest of her thick blonde locks flowed down her back and shoulders. Her dress consisted of a short green halter dress of material so thin it left little to the imagination, with tall green boots and a thick, corset like belt around her waist. When she looked at Loki, she beamed. “Oh, I knew that outfit would look stunning on you.” 

A small wrinkle appeared between Hela’s brows. “You picked our clothing?” 

Amora gave her a disgusted look, her eyes taking in Hela’s dress and the head that rode at her hip. “I only picked out Loki’s. I see that Gilgamesh must have picked out yours. He never did have very good taste.” 

Loki piped up. “I think Hela looks rather beautiful.” 

Hela blushed and smiled. “Thank you little…” She stopped herself and instead said. “Thank you Loki.” 

Loki smiled and inclined his head to her. 

Amora scowled at the strange flirting the two of them were engaged in. She grabbed Loki by the arm. “Come along. I came to escort you to the party. It will be fun, I promise. Lots of drink, music, dancing, and the stories.” She turned, dragging Loki with her. 

Loki pulled back on Amora, putting his other arm out. “Hela?” 

Hela hesitated for only a moment before she stepped over and, much to Amora’s annoyance, took Loki’s offered arm. 

“Thank you,” Hela said giving Loki a smile that made his insides melt. 

“Fine, let’s get to this party,” Amora muttered, wishing she had access to her magic, or at least a spell to banish a certain death goddess. 

* 

The party in the temple of Zeus was far larger than either Loki or Hela had anticipated and showed that this settlement contained many more residents than either them had realized. Several long tables sat along the edges of the main room, all of them loaded with food, from cooked meats, to candied fruits, and loaves of bread from numerous cultures. There were several bottles of wine and glasses enough for an army. Interspersed between the tables were green lounges where several guests reclined on their sides while eating and drinking. A staggering amount of candles provided illumination, casting the entire place in a soft (and romantic, Loki thought with a quirk to his lips) light. Several scantily clad youths (both male and female) played a variety of ancient looking instruments, drums, lutes, lyres, and flutes for the party. 

Hercules, dressed entirely in the color gold, came rushing up to them. “Ah!! Our new friends!! And Mimir! You finally found someone fool enough to chop your head off, I see.” 

Mimir scowled at Hercules as did Hela. “I am no fool, Olympian,” she hissed. 

Hercules laughed. “Oh come now, just teasing. This party, my friends, is in your honor! Please enjoy yourselves, eat, drink and be merry!!” 

Hercules smacked Loki hard in the shoulder with the side of his fist. “Perhaps you shall wrestle with us later. Several of us are stripping and oiling up for a few matches.” 

Loki’s eyes widened for a split second before he smiled. “Ah, I’ll pass. I think that is more my brother’s sort of activity.” 

Hercules frowned in confusion. “Are you sure? You are skinny, to be sure, but you might surprise yourself. I’m sure the ladies here might enjoy it.” 

Amora grinned like a cat. “Oh I would.” 

Hela blinked slowly, but said nothing not trusting herself to add anything useful to the conversation. 

Loki put his hand up to forestall anymore requests. “No, no no, that’s fine. I think I’m more inclined to test some wine.” 

Hercules shrugged. “Well, suit yourself. Amora, come, you have been chosen as one of the judges since all here know how much you enjoy the matches.” 

Amora flushed, but at the same time tried to take a step back, her hold on Loki’s arm tightening. “I don’t…” She looked at Loki, but Hercules wrapped his arm around her shoulders, tugging her away from Loki and guiding her along with him. “Oh come now, everyone knows how much you enjoy seeing all of the naked men! And several of the trolls will be wrestling this evening. Weren’t you the one who said they were impressive?” Hercules laughed. “Now, come along!” Hercules stopped for a moment looking back at Loki and Hela. “The matches are held in the back if you two would like to watch!” Hercules grinned before he continued on, giving a wave over his shoulder as he led Amora away. 

Hela and Loki stood side by side and exchanged a look. 

Loki grinned and elbowed her playfully at the same time he whispered. “Naked trolls.” 

They both burst out into pearls of laughter. 

Hela elbowed him back. “Are you sure you don’t want to get naked and oiled up? I’m sure Amora would love it.” Hela couldn’t keep the derisive tone out of her voice when she mentioned Amora. 

Loki gave her a withering look. “I’m quite sure.” 

Hela giggled, covering her mouth when she did, but Loki reached up and gently wrapped his hand around her wrist, pulling her hand down. “Don’t hide your smile,” he said softly before lacing his fingers with hers. “Come on, let’s go see if these Greeks know anything about good food and wine.” 

Hela smiled and allowed Loki to hold her hand as he led her to one of many the tables decked out in rows of food, from shrimp to potatoes to more exotic food in a wide variety of colors and from locations Loki could only guess about. 

Mimir called out from his position behind Hela’s rear. “Oh make sure to grab me some of the stuffed figs!” 

Hela cringed. “You can’t still eat can you?” 

Mimir laughed. “Won’t know ‘til I try!” 

Loki stuck his tongue out. “Yuck.” 

* 

As the evening progressed, Loki and Hela drank and ate a great deal. The food was indeed good and the wine was surprisingly better than expected. Amora had been kept busy through the night, only once finding her way back to Loki. 

She tried to pull him into a dance only to be sidetracked by a very large man calling himself Cú Roí who dragged her off for a promised drink, not taking no for an answer, which left Loki and Hela alone...Except for Mimir. Loki sighed. 

Hela chuckled, watching Amora dragged over to a table where several other men yelled a very loud greeting to Amora. 

“I would almost feel sorry for her, almost.” Hela sipped her drink muttering under her breath. “She-beast.” She giggled. 

Behind her, Mimir giggled and sang drunkenly. He had became drunk enough (where the wine or food went, no one knew or wanted to dwell on too much) until he began singing loudly, which had drawn a great deal of attention an hour ago when the head on Hela’s waist had started to sing. It seemed that no one in this strange realm had ever seen a singing head before. Mimir was a novelty who quickly went from fascinating to annoying all the guests as his drunk singing went from bad, to rude, and then back around to bad. 

“While you live, shine 

have no grief at all 

life exists only for a short while 

and time demands its toll.” 

Hela giggled, noticing that the other guests at Hercules’ party were giving them a wide berth. “Your singing is awful Mimir!” 

Mimir hiccuped. “Ha! That goes to show what you know!” 

The head continued to sing, but his words had begun to slur together as he mumbled his way through the song until it seemed that Mimir had passed out. 

Loki chuckled sipping his wine as the musicians began to play something soft and mellow. A few of the guests began to dance. Loki watched them with a smile. He knew he was slightly drunk, a state he hadn’t been in for a long while, not since Thor’s last birthday celebration. He watched the dancers turning slowly to the music, a few simply swayed in place holding one another, while others performed dances together with complicated steps and spins. He smiled and turned to Hela. 

The light danced over her skin, casting her in warm colors. Her long dark hair looked like silk in the candles light, begging for lips and fingers to run across it. Her bare arms looked soft enough (and pleasantly toned) to kiss, as did her mouth that formed in a soft smile. He didn’t know if it was the drink or his own stupidity, or the lingering memory of the kiss, but Loki stepped closer. 

“Would you like to dance?” Loki asked softly. 

Hela turned to look at him as if he were a rearing snake. “What?” 

Loki smiled, setting his drink down. “Would you like to dance? It’s a fairly easy question.” He put his hand out. “Dance with me.” 

Hela blushed and looked away. “I’m a terrible dancer. I always have been.” 

Loki snorted. “I’ve seen you fight. If you can fight that gracefully, you can dance elder sister.” 

Hela narrowed her eyes at him. “Very well, but on one condition: don’t call me elder sister any more. I don’t like it.” 

Loki grinned. “Then don’t call me little brother and we have a deal.” 

Hela pouted. “But it’s so cute...the face you make is priceless…” 

Loki growled. “The god of mischief is not cute.” 

Hela smiled wider. “Yes you are! You’re making that face right now.” 

Loki frowned at her before he reached out in annoyance and grabbed her hand. He practically spun her around as he turned and yanked her onto the center floor where others were dancing and swung her into his arms. 

“Shut up and dance with me,” he grumbled. 

Hela fell into his arms and laughed, draping her arms across his shoulders, catching her finger with one hand behind the back of his neck. “Are you always so grumpy after a good meal? Or is this just a sort of default setting? When you aren’t plotting murder, you fall into a grumpy state?” 

As Loki laid his hands on her waist, Mimir had roused and was humming drunkenly behind her. They swayed together to the soft music. “No I’m not grumpy, but you are infuriating.” 

Hela laughed. “I can’t disagree with you. I am. Mother always said it was my best quality though, something I shared with father.” 

She sighed softly, though there was no trace of deep sadness, just a little melancholy. Loki pulled her closer, wrapped his arms more firmly around her. Hela took the invitation, wrapping her arms more tightly around his shoulders and laid her head against his shoulder, slowly swaying in time to the music. Loki smiled and laid his cheek against hers, closing his eyes and simply moved with the music, occasionally stroking his fingers along the edges of her hair. It felt strangely right, to be holding her, a woman he still barely knew...though he understood her on a deep level. The pain that she carried with her, pain from a broken family, of never fitting in, of not being completely loved for who she was, cast aside with no real reason why except that she was made to feel inferior, never good enough...He understood that feeling well, because that was exactly how he felt--never good enough. It was only recently, as he and Thor had begun to repair their relationship (now that their father and all his mistakes and secrets had followed him to the grave), that Loki felt he was on the path to healing...until Thanos had killed him that is. 

Loki sighed, adjusted his hold on Hela, pulling her closer as if he wanted to protect her from her past, protect her from the things that were done to her, this goddess with whom he could identify. He closed his eyes as he ran his hand tenderly along her back. She didn’t deserve what had happened to her, to be cast aside by their father when she no longer suited his purposes, more like an unwanted tool than a daughter. 

Hela hummed softly to the music while she caressed her fingers against the back of Loki’s neck, playing with his hair. She brushed her cheek against his and whispered. “I’m sorry I kissed you.” 

Loki’s eyes flew open in surprise before he whispered back. “I’m not.” 

He felt Hela stiffen in his arms; he squeezed her lightly, but said nothing else. He wasn’t exactly sure what he should say. His feelings were a complicated mess. He wanted her, but that wasn’t all that he wanted, not just a physical relationship. The fact that he wanted more than that bothered him. Romantic relationships were complicated and messy. He had seen enough of Thor’s entanglements to understand that a relationship was just plain...troublesome. But he felt something more for Hela, a connection that he had never felt with another living soul. She was a tortured soul, like himself, alone in the universe, just like him. So what did that mean? What did he want from her? What did he want to give? 

He sighed and maintained his hold on her as he thought with annoyance that he had imbibed too much drink. That was what it meant. All his musings were the product of far too much wine. 

Hela stared at the candles around them as Loki swayed in place with her in his arms. Her mind was a muddle of incoherent thoughts. She didn’t know what she wanted exactly, only that she wanted Loki involved somehow. She lifted her head from his shoulder to look up at him. He smiled at her and his blue eyes caught the twinkling light of the flames around him, causing her to feel as if she were falling into his gaze. He made her feel weak and she hated feeling weak. In the past she might have simply killed him. It was so much easier to simply destroy distractions like him, but she didn’t want to destroy him. She wanted to discover more, she wanted to know him, and damn it all she thought, she just simply wanted him. 

Hela shoved Loki, brought her hands up to plant them firmly on his chest and shoved him, breaking his hold on her. Loki looked surprised. “What’s wrong?” 

Hela snarled. “Just shut up.” 

She shoved him again and continued to shove him backwards forcing him off the dance floor and through the shadows of the temple’s pillars until she finally had shoved him against the stone wall, behind one of the thick pillars into a corner where no one could see them. She kept her hands flat against his chest, forcing him to stay against the wall as she glowered at him. 

Loki frowned. “What ever did I do?” 

Hela smacked him lightly in the chest, keenly aware that his chest was mostly bare in the top that Amora had picked for him. “You just...you are just...” she hissed, not sure what she was trying to say or why she was becoming so inexplicably angry with him. She started to smack him in the chest again in frustration when Loki grabbed her wrist. They stared at each other for many heartbeats. Loki’s hand tightened around her wrist while her other hand pressed against his chest, her fingers like claws, her nails not quite breaking the skin of his exposed chest. They gazed at each other for a long moment, searching each others eyes for something neither of them understood. 

Loki yanked her to him and kissed her. 

Hela looked momentarily surprised before she melted into the kiss, opening her mouth against his, her tongue sliding against Loki’s in a slow, heated kiss that sent warmth rushing in a wave through her entire body. It was a warmth she could not recall feeling before in her many centuries of existence. 

Loki released her wrist to wrap his arms around her. All he wanted was her against him, to feel her body against his, her lips, her tongue... 

Hela made a soft moan when Loki’s hands slid down over her rear, grasping her, pulling her tight against him. She could feel his attraction, the hard length of his erection through his clothing against her and it sent fire racing through her, mixing with the alcohol in her system. She made another low groan, rubbing herself against his attraction, her hands caressing his bare chest, his shoulders. 

Loki spun her around to slam her up against the wall, his body flush with hers. (Mimir made a slight snort in his sleep when the cage on Hela’s hip bounced against the wall, but otherwise the severed head remained asleep). Loki ran his hands down Hela’s sides, feeling the supple flow of her body beneath his grasp, the heat of her body burned through the thin fabric of her dress. He pressed himself more firmly against her, feeling the warmth of her breasts against his chest and one of her legs wrapping around his leg. His lips moved from her mouth to her throat, his tongue gliding down the pale column of her neck to her collar where he alternated the soft press of his lips with the gentle pressure of his teeth. 

Hela moaned, laying her head back against the wall, caressing her fingers through his dark hair. She arched her chest slightly willing him to take more of her. 

Loki growled softly, his tongue tracing the flow of her collarbone and kissed his way down between her breasts, the smoothness of her skin. His lips brushed against her silky, bare skin, his tongue leaving a damp trail over the swell of one breast while his hand snaked up her body, cupping her breast in his hand. The thin material did little to create a barrier between his hand and her skin. His heart thrummed inside his chest, his groin pressed against his pants; he wanted her so much that it hurt. 

Hela moaned at his touch, she sucked on her bottom lip; the sensations from Loki’s touch had her vibrating with need. She wanted to feel his hands everywhere on her. She wanted to touch him, to feel the warmth of his skin under her hands...she wanted to surrender herself over to him, all of her. It was a wild and crazed feeling, something she had never felt before, but now she felt that need to give, to give herself completely to him so profoundly that the sensation hurt her. She pressed her teeth into her bottom lip, pulling him closer, willing him to understand without her using words, because she didn’t think she could make herself understood with mere words. 

Loki felt her nipple, hard and sensitive against his palm. He brushed his thumb over the sensitive flesh, causing Hela to gasp while he dragged his teeth lightly against her tender throat. He could feel the beat of her heart against his tongue and her heart’s frantic beat matched his own. His body felt tight, hot and his groin ached. The little sounds Hela was making were driving him crazy with need. He had never wanted anyone or anything as much as he wanted her. He wanted to lose himself in the tangle of her limbs, to give himself over to her. 

Loki dragged his tongue along her throat again, his fingers grasping her flesh, wanting to rip the dress away to touch her, to touch all of her skin, all of her. She made such delicious sounds he thought, he wondered briefly what other noises she would make, what sounds he could make her utter by using his tongue on her body. He smiled at the thought while at the same time he ducked his head, pulling away the fabric of her dress to expose her breast. His body vibrated at the sight of her, the side of her breast, soft, pale, the nipple a dark pink that made him groan. He brushed his lips against her skin, the soft silk of her breast against his lips was intoxicating; he needed more. His other hand cupped the opposite breast, squeezing gently while his thumb stroked her hard nipple. 

Loki focused his attention on her bare breast; his tongue licked across her nipple. Hela’s grip on him tightened, her nails scraping against his scalp when an explosion of intense desire moved through her. Loki licked her nipple again before pressing his lips against the rosy bud, sucking her nipple gently into his mouth to roll his tongue over the sensitive surface when a voice spoke softly, his other hand moving to grasp her bare hip under the dress... 

“Really sorry to disturb you both, but Hercules wants you to come to the fire for stories. It’s a chance for you both to tell everyone how you arrived here and, of course the rumor has made the rounds about a quest? We are all very interested in hearing about this quest.” 

Loki’s head shot up, his hand immediately moving into position over Hela’s breast to protect her modesty at the same time that Hela’s eyes snapped open. They both turned to see Gilgamesh standing just inside the shadow of the pillar and casually sipping a glass of wine. He smiled at them both and pointed. “Just go across the main temple and up some stairs where the fire pit is located.” He held his wine glass up to them. 

“Looking forward to hearing your tale.” He smiled, turned, and headed off in the direction he had just indicated. 

Both Loki and Hela were breathing hard, their passion slowly cooling. 

Loki muttered while he gently pulled Hela’s dress back in place. “I hate Olympians.” 

Hela said softly, “I think he is Sumerian.” 

“I hate Sumerians,” Loki muttered as he looked into Hela’s face. Her cheeks were flush, her eyes bright and her lips were red from their kissing. He gazed at her, reached out to tenderly run his fingertips over her bottom lip. Hela took a shaking breath, reaching out to caress Loki’s hair back behind his ears as she murmured. “I hate Sumerians too.” 

Sleepily Mimir replied. “No, I think he is actually an Eternal.” 

Loki muttered darkly. “I hate them all.”


End file.
